Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

 

Hello everyone!! I got an awesome book for my birthday this week! It’s called The Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Workbook by McKay, Wood and Brantley.

I have been interested in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for a while but I have never done a great deal of research on the topic.  I have used the Radical Acceptance exercise from this workbook with a couple of my clients and I felt that they responded well.  I also love the idea of incorporating mindfulness training in therapy and that is a cornerstone of this theory. 

Part of the purpose of this blog is to document my journey to becoming a more authentic person and in turn a more authentic therapist.  I want to do the exercises that I would ask a client to do.  I thought this workbook would be a great place to start.  My interest in this workbook is two-fold.  First for this blog and second for a DBT group I am developing for my work.  I will be working with clients who have severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI).  Many of these clients have schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder.  Intense emotions and self-destructive behaviors often accompany these disorders.  DBT is focused on helping clients to deal with their emotions and reduce self-destructive behaviors so I feel like a DBT group could be very effective with this population. 

I started reading the workbook this evening.  I did the exercises in the intro chapter.  I did not really connect with the exercises because I do not participate in many self-destructive behaviors.  I would consider myself an emotional eater and that is one of the behaviors that is addressed in this book.  But as far as tonight’s exercises, I did not get a ton out of it.  When I put my therapist hat on while reading I did find that there are a lot of great talking points and possible activities I could do with a group.  I am excited to start developing the group curriculum. 

Before I wrap up I wanted to let you all know that I run a group page of Facebook called Being a Therapist in Training. It is a closed group but you are invited to join.  It is a place to come and discuss topics related to the process of becoming a therapist, to share triumphs and frustrations, and network with other people going through the same experiences as you.  I also have a Pinterest page where I post cool things related to therapy.  It’s new so there are not a ton of post yet.  Check it out!!

Thanks for stopping by! 

It’s a waiting game…

 

A quote from my favorite movie, Step Brothers!!  Anyways….

This has been a very exciting week in my journey to become an official therapist.  On Tuesday I left work early to check a bunch of things off the list of application requirements for my BBS Intern Number.  I met up with one of my dear friends from school and we went and took care of the following:

1. LiveScan Fingerprinting: UPS Store $75
2. Passport Photo:  CVS $11
3. Money Order: 7-11 $75 + $0.99
4. Transcripts from school:  Free…better be for how much I paid for my degree!!!
5. Form for BBS from my school:  Free as well

I also had to do the following:

1. I printed out the BBS app at school since I left the original one at home.
2. I mailed the application via priority mail on Wednesday morning before work. Not necessary but I wanted the confirmation that it got there $5.05

Total Cost $ 167.40 plus a couple hours off work and Starbucks.  The last two are optional

I was informed by our advisor at my school that I am the first of my cohort to “grad out” and submit  my  application to the BBS.  Why does this not surprise me?  I have been stalking the girls at school since I finished my last assignment!  Some people have asked me what the application process involves for the BBS.  The BBS website can be quite daunting so I thought I would post the link here that has all of the steps. 

http://www.bbs.ca.gov/app-reg/mft_presentation.shtml

The website also posts their application processing time here… http://www.bbs.ca.gov/app-reg/. As of July 1, 2013 they are taking a couple of weeks.  I am hoping that this is still the case!

Another exciting thing happened this week! I got a chance to speak to my boss about my Internship at my current work.  As I think I have mentioned before I have worked at a large Psychiatric Medical Group here in Southern California for a decade.  I have done just about every job except Payroll.  This experience will serve me well when I am finally licensed because I understand the business end of this profession.  I understand billing, collections, credentialing, everything.  I am planning on having the best looking accounts around.  I think this will also help me in another way.  I am finding that I am very passionate about helping my fellow MFT Interns and I would imagine my future MFT/Mental Health worker colleagues in their journey as well.  I am planning on becoming a supervisor two years after licensure and hopefully dedicating part of my practice to seeing new and seasoned professionals. This is part of why I am doing this blog.  I am getting my feet wet and hoping that in time it will blossom into another area of my professional life. 

Back to the meeting with my boss.  He gave me a great raise and has given me basically a free pass to create an internship.  I just have to run things by him for the final okay.  I am super excited.  I also took on more administrative duties but I think I can count some of it as training hours because I am now in charge of HIPAA compliance for our entire group.  It will be important that I stay up to date on any changes and that should count for training hours.  I will need to “sell it” to my supervisor because he is very “by the book” and I am so grateful for that!

I hope everything is moving along for everyone else.  If anyone has questions about the process, please feel free to comment here or contact me via email to kristemitchell@msn.com.  I am happy to help.

Also, just a heads up:  My supervisor and I are currently developing a group that will be for therapists in training.  I will keep you all posted when that is officially available.   

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend! I am celebrating my 11 year anniversary today so I plan on having a nice weekend too! I have a Board Meeting at work, but I am actually looking forward to it! Take care everyone!

Miracle Question

This cute activity is known as "The Miracle Question."  It is used often in therapy especially Soultion Focused Therapy.  It helps the client put into words what they want their life to look like and then the therapist can help them create an action plan to achieve their hearts desire.  Here is mine...

So what steps can I take today to move myself closer to these goals? 

1) Continue to learn all I can about my profession. Not only theraputic skills but the business end as well.

2) Work on my confidence to believe that I can actually do this job well.  I have always struggled in this area.  

3) Start planning international trips so I have something to look forward to and work towards. Pinterest is a great place to start pinning ideas! 

4) Invest time and energy into my relationship with my husband (We will celebrate 11 years of marriage this weekend 😀) and my sweet boys ( ages 9 and 5). 

Here is a blank sheet...take some time to reflect on what you truly want and small steps you can take to move yourself in that direction!

Here is the link to the page that I got this from... Feel free to pass it on! 

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Printables/print.php?category=Wishes_and_Hopes&file=81_Print.GIF

Take care of yourselves!!!

Inside a Therapist heart!

I think this is so beautiful! 

I also love this quote... My theoretical philosophy in a nutshell.  Apparently I am more Cognitive Behavioral than I originally thought :) 

-Frank Outlaw

Navigating the BBS...ugh

I have to admit, I am feeling kind of overwhelmed right now! I have spent a great deal of time today talking to my boss as well as my supervisor about the various requirements of my upcoming Internship.  I am thankful to have a very cautious and ethical supervisor so I know that when I submit my exam application my hours will all be in order. My supervisor wants to make sure that everything we do is in line with the BBS.  I have spent hours on the BBS website trying to get all of the information I need to insure that I get a quality internship experience.  My brain hurts...

On another note I am currently developing a therapy group that we can offer for MFT/LCSW trainees and interns in my local area! I am so excited for the opportunity to work with pre licensed clinicians helping them grow as people so they can become more authentic therapists.  It also gives me an excuse to stay connected to my friends from graduate school! It is so important to stay connected with the people in our professional lives! It is often said that who you know can make all the difference and I think that is very true in this profession. I will post information on this group as soon as we have nailed down the details. We are hoping to start in the fall!

On one last note...I got my first The Therapist magazine from CAMFT today! Very exciting!

Hello

Hello! My name is Kriste and I just graduated with my Master's in Counseling Psychology.  I finished up my year long practicum and I am currently waiting for my Intern number.  I am kind of in limbo right now while I wait.  I work at a large psychiatric medical group here in Southern California and my boss has graciously has offered me a paid internship but I am still not completely sure what I will be doing.  My boss is very flexible so I am thinking I will be able to create an Internship that will work.  I will probably be doing a lot of case management and therapy with clients who have severe and persistent mental illness.  This will be quite different from my practicum where I worked with people who were homeless and living in transitional housing.  Their concerns were mostly social and not biological.  It will be a shift for me but I am up for the challenge.  I am very excited, anxious, and slightly terrified as I think about transitioning into this new role at my work and in my life.  I have worked at my job since 2000 doing office work.  I have done billing, accounting, provider relations, case management, front office work, you name it, I've done it.  This has given me so much experience with the business side of therapy.  I am so excited to move to the other side of the therapy room door. 

I wanted to start this blog for several reasons.  First off, writing is so therapeutic for me and I do not do nearly enough.  Honestly, I never journal or anything anymore.  I have been so busy juggling work, school, practicum and my hubby and two kids that I had very little time to do anything for myself. Totally counterproductive but its the reality of it all.  So I want to start blogging as a way to work through the issues and challenges that come up during the process of becoming an MFT.  I also wanted to do this blog as a way to hold myself accountable.  I have a strong desire to be a therapist with integrity.  I want to practice what I preach.  Hence the name of this blog. I want to "walk the therapeutic talk" I will admit that I fall short everyday.  I want to be able to ask my clients to grow and change knowing that I too am growing and changing.  I feel like this is the only way to be truly authentic.  Jeffery Kottler writes

" A therapist who is vibrant, inspirational, and charismatic; who is sincere, loving and nurturing; and who is wise, confident and self-disciplined will have a dramatic impact through the sheer force and power of her essence, regardless of her theoretical allegiances" (Kottler, 2003). 

I remember vividly when I read these words in my first semester of graduate school.  It stopped me right in my tracks.  It was so encouraging and terrifying all in one.  I was encouraged that who I was as a person is what can truly empower my clients but I was terrified that I would not live up to the person he is describing.  That person is my goal.  I am hoping that this blog will help me stay accountable to working towards this goal.  I am also hoping that it can encourage other mental health  workers to be authentic and strive to become their best self.  Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to this journey!!