Park City DBT

Do you and your teen get stuck in the same arguments over and over? Does your teen struggle with big emotions, impulsive choices, self-harm, or finding healthy ways to cope when things feel overwhelming? Do you sometimes feel unsure of how to help—or like nothing you say is quite right?

This group is for teens and caregivers who want practical tools to get through tough moments, communicate better, and feel more connected to each other. You don’t need to have it all figured out—you just need to be willing to learn and practice new skills together.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based approach that teaches practical skills for managing emotions, coping with stress, navigating difficult situations, and building healthier relationships. Rather than simply talking about problems, DBT focuses on learning and practicing skills that can be applied in everyday life.

This 24-week multi-family DBT skills group, run by Amanda Hough, LCSW and Karlina Howell, LMFT, helps teens and parents/caregivers learn and practice skills together. Each teen attends with one parent/caregiver, creating a shared language and set of tools that can be used both in and outside of group.

The program is divided into four 6-week cycles covering the core DBT skills: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, Walking the Middle Path, and Interpersonal Effectiveness (see below for a more detailed description of each module!). Each cycle begins with two weeks of mindfulness—the backbone of DBT—followed by four weeks focused on the other 4 modules.

Each 6-week cycle is a closed group, with new participants joining at the start of each cycle. Families receive a DBT skills binder with handouts, worksheets, and practice materials to support learning between sessions.

Each session includes:

• First half: Mindfulness practice, homework review, and troubleshooting how to use skills in daily life
• Second half: Learning and practicing new DBT skills

The goal is to help teens and parents/caregivers build practical tools, improve communication, and navigate challenges together.

Please note: We do not offer individual DBT therapy at this time. If you are interested in finding a DBT individual therapist, we'd be happy to provide referrals. 

Teens don’t navigate big emotions and difficult situations on their own. The people around them play an important role in how they learn to cope, communicate, and respond.

In a multi-family DBT skills group, parents/caregivers participate as fellow skills learners. Both teens and their parents/caregivers are expected to learn and practice the same DBT principles and skills. This creates a shared language and gives families tools they can practice both in and outside of group.

Parents/caregivers also learn how to respond to difficult moments in ways that support their teen’s growth rather than unintentionally adding to the conflict.

The goal isn’t to put the responsibility on the teen or the parent/caregiver—it’s to give the whole family practical skills for communicating better, handling challenges, and supporting one another.

Mindfulness
Learn how to slow down, stay present, and notice what’s happening before reacting. Teens and parents/caregivers practice paying attention to their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings so they can make more intentional choices.

Distress Tolerance
What do you do when emotions feel overwhelming? This module teaches practical ways to get through stressful or painful moments without making things worse. Teens learn how to cope when things feel really hard—even when they can’t immediately change the situation.

Walking the Middle Path
Learn how to move away from “all-or-nothing” thinking and find balance in challenging moments. This module helps teens and parents/caregivers practice validation, improve communication, navigate disagreements, and build stronger relationships through understanding and flexibility.

Emotion Regulation
Big emotions can be hard to understand, let alone manage. Teens learn how to recognize what they’re feeling, understand what influences their emotions, and use skills to respond rather than react. Parents/caregivers learn skills to better support their teen through those moments, too.

Interpersonal Effectiveness
Relationships can be complicated, especially when emotions are running high. This module focuses on communicating more effectively, setting boundaries, handling conflict, asking for what you need, and maintaining relationships that matter.

Together, these four modules give teens and families a practical toolkit they can use at home, at school, and in everyday life.

1. Reach Out
Interested in learning more? Let's schedule a free 15-minute consultation call  for you to ask questions, discuss whether the group may be a good fit for your teen and family, and learn about upcoming group start dates. We’re happy to talk through the format, expectations, and what you can expect from the group.

2. Complete an Assessment
Before joining the group, we’ll meet with you and your teen for a brief assessment. We’ll meet with the teen and parent/ caregivers together and separately so everyone has an opportunity to speak openly. Although only one parent/caregiver attends the weekly group with the teen, we ask that, when applicable, both parents/caregivers participate in the initial assessment so we can get a full understanding of family dynamics.

We’ll talk about what your teen and family are experiencing, what you hope to get out of the group, and whether a multi-family DBT skills group is the right fit. We’ll also assess for any current safety concerns and make sure the group can be an appropriate and supportive setting for your teen.

As part of the assessment, we will also contact your teens individual therapist to establish  an on-going working relationship to best support our shared client. Because this is a skills-training group and NOT therapy, we value ongoing communication with each teen’s therapist throughout the 24 weeks to help support consistency and continuity of care.

3. Begin the Group
Once your family has completed the assessment and we determine that the group is a good fit, you’ll join at the beginning of the next 6-week cycle. We ask that all members commit to the full 6 weeks of each module. Your teen will attend each session with one parent/caregiver. Both you and your teen will receive a DBT skills binder with all of the handouts and worksheets you’ll need. 

• Initial 2-hour assessment with both parents and teen: $450
• One-time enrollment/materials fee: $150 (Includes 2 group workbooks and all materials for experiential activities and projects used throughout the group)
• $1,350 per 6-week module

Amanda has been working in mental health since 2012, and DBT has been a big part of her work throughout her career. In 2016, she helped build and run a comprehensive DBT program for adolescents and adults in Pennsylvania. Since then, she has led DBT skills groups in a variety of settings, including multi-family, college-aged, inpatient, and outpatient programs.

Amanda especially loves multi-family groups because of the relationships that develop along the way. She enjoys watching teens and parents learn the skills together, try them out at home, and find new ways to understand and respond to each other. For Amanda, one of the best parts is seeing a family go from feeling stuck in the same difficult patterns to having new tools to handle those moments differently.

Karly has also worked in mental health since 2012 and has been practicing in the Park City community since 2016. She started using DBT early in her career, helping teens and families practice skills in their homes and communities, and has continued incorporating DBT into her work with adolescents and families. She has also facilitated DBT skills groups for teens in school settings.

Karly loves working with adolescents and families and understands that the teenage years can be challenging for everyone. Teens are becoming more independent, navigating relationships, and figuring out who they are, while parents are learning how to support them in new ways. She loves the multi-family model because everyone gets to learn together. Teens and parents develop a shared language, practice the skills together, and have the opportunity to make changes as a family.

Click here to visit Karly's website to learn more about her and her practice!

Together, Amanda and Karly bring more than 20 years of combined experience in mental health and extensive experience teaching and practicing DBT with teens and families. Their goal is to make DBT skills practical and accessible so families can use them together to build stronger connections, reduce conflict, and improve their overall quality of life—both at home and beyond.