Children's Group Therapy & DBT-C

Fostering Connection and Resilience: Group Therapy for Children at Ethos Wellness

At Ethos Wellness, we recognize the profound impact that peer connection and shared experience can have on a child’s development. Our Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C) program provides a uniquely powerful, safe, and supportive environment where children can explore their emotions, develop essential social skills, and learn effective coping strategies – all while connecting with others who understand their journey.

In a world where emotional struggles can often feel isolating, our group therapy helps children realize they are not alone, fostering a sense of belonging that is crucial for healing and growth.

The Power of Group DBT-C:
Learning Life Skills Together

Group DBT-C is an evidence-based approach specifically adapted to meet the developmental needs of children and adolescents. It combines therapeutic play, skills-based interventions, and interactive exercises to help children manage their emotions, improve their behavior, and thrive socially and academically. Led by experienced child therapists, our small groups, typically comprising 6–8 peers, are designed to be engaging, validating, and conducive to the application of real-world skills.

Through discussions, games, role-play, and structured activities, children practice and internalize the core tenets of DBT in a child-friendly manner. This dynamic setting allows for real-time feedback and peer validation, ensuring that the skills gained in session translate into lasting behavioral change at home, school, and within their friendships.

Core Skills Children Master in Group DBT-C

Our comprehensive Group DBT-C program focuses on equipping children with a vital toolkit of life skills, directly addressing common challenges faced by young individuals:

Emotional Regulation

Children learn to identify, understand, and effectively manage a wide spectrum of emotions, including stress, anger, and sadness, in healthy and productive ways. This involves recognizing emotional cues, understanding their intensity, and developing strategies to respond thoughtfully rather than impulsively.

Distress Tolerance

This crucial skill teaches children how to navigate difficult or overwhelming situations without resorting to negative or self-defeating behaviors. They learn techniques to endure painful moments, such as crisis survival strategies and self-soothing methods, empowering them to cope with distress effectively.

Mindfulness

Through age-appropriate exercises, children develop an increased awareness of the present moment, their thoughts, and their bodily sensations. Mindfulness practices help build self-awareness, improve focus, and reduce reactivity, promoting a more centered and calm state.

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Children gain practical communication and social skills, learning how to express their feelings and needs clearly, set healthy boundaries, resolve conflicts, and navigate social situations with confidence. This includes assertiveness training and strategies for building and maintaining positive relationships with peers and adults.

Problem-Solving

Participants learn systematic approaches to identifying problems, brainstorming solutions, evaluating outcomes, and implementing effective strategies in their daily lives.

Social Confidence & Peer Support

Social Confidence & Peer Support: The group dynamic inherently fosters a strong sense of community. Children connect with others facing similar issues, which significantly reduces feelings of shame and isolation. They gain confidence in social settings and practice handling peer interactions, conflict, and boundaries in a supportive, real-time environment.

Ethos Wellness Approach to Group Therapy

At Ethos Wellness, our commitment is to create safe, inclusive, and affirming spaces where every child feels seen, heard, and valued. Our clinicians are trained in child development and play therapy, prioritizing cultural sensitivity, family collaboration, and continuous professional learning. We thoughtfully place clients in groups based on clinical fit, goals, and developmental stage, ensuring the best possible experience for each participant. Confidentiality and mutual respect are foundational values upheld by every group member.

Whether your child is dealing with emotional dysregulation, social withdrawal, anxiety, trauma, or simply needs to build stronger social confidence, our psychoeducational and process-oriented groups provide a nurturing space for profound growth. We believe that children leave our group sessions with greater insight, self-efficacy, and interpersonal confidence.

Program Format and Structure

Our Group DBT-C program is structured for optimal engagement and effectiveness:

Session Frequency & Duration: Typically, sessions are held weekly for 60–90 minutes.
Program Length: The program usually spans 16–20 weeks, providing ample time for skill acquisition and practice.
Group Size: To ensure individualized attention and foster a strong group dynamic, groups are kept small, with a maximum of 6–8 children per group.
Individual Orientation: Each child participates in a pre-group individual intake assessment. This session helps set personalized goals, establishes expectations, and ensures the child feels comfortable and prepared for the group experience.
Parental Involvement: Ethos Wellness recognizes the critical role of parents in a child’s therapeutic journey. We incorporate parents into the progress planning and encourage them to reinforce learned skills at home, ensuring consistency and long-term generalization of new behaviors.

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Why Group Therapy Works for Children:

Group therapy, especially within a DBT-C framework, offers distinct advantages for children’s mental health.

Reduced Isolation and Stigma

Many children believe they are the only ones struggling with certain emotions or behaviors. Group therapy normalizes these experiences, reducing feelings of shame and isolation

Peer Validation and Support

Connecting with peers who share similar challenges creates a powerful sense of understanding and empathy. Children gain confidence from realizing they are not alone and receive genuine support from their group members.

Real-World Practice

The group setting provides a safe "laboratory" for children to practice new communication skills, conflict resolution, and emotional regulation in real-time social interactions. This direct application aids in transferring skills to daily life.

Increased Emotional Awareness

Observing how other children cope with emotions and receiving feedback on their own expressions enhances self-awareness and emotional literacy.

Cost-Effectiveness

Group therapy can often provide access to high-quality therapeutic support at a lower cost compared to individual sessions, making it a more accessible option for many families.

Diverse Perspectives

Learning from the experiences and coping strategies of others broadens a child's understanding and expands their own repertoire of emotional tools.

Mental Health Is a Right, Not a Privilege

With the aim of restoring hope, clinicians and patients work together to develop meaningful and realistic goals creating a pathway towards healing and wellness all the while those goals and establishing a strong sense of personal agency and hope.

(713) 429-8990

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Frequently Asked Questions

What age range is suitable for children's group therapy?

Our Group Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C) is tailored for children 11 and under.

What types of issues are commonly addressed in children's group therapy?

Group therapy supports the development of executive function and social-emotional skills, fostering communication and social-emotional learning. It is effective for children dealing with emotional dysregulation, social withdrawal, aggression or impulsivity, low confidence, life transitions, trauma, or loss. It also helps with managing stress, anger, and sadness.

How large are the group therapy sessions?

Groups are capped at 6 participants to allow for personalized attention.

Is what my child says in group therapy confidential?

The group setting is designed to be a safe, engaging, and validating environment. Confidentiality and trust are foundational values in a group environment.

What therapeutic approaches are used in children's group therapy?

We use evidence-based approaches, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C), to teach mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and assertiveness. These groups utilize interactive exercises, discussions, games, and role-play.

What are the key outcomes for children participating in group therapy?

Children develop confidence, feel less isolated, and learn that they are not alone. They gain tools to manage stress, anger, and sadness, practice handling peer interactions and conflict, and apply these new tools at school, home, and in friendships.

Begin Your Child's Journey to Connected Healing

If your child is struggling with managing emotions in social settings, feels isolated, or could benefit from peer support in developing crucial life skills, our Group DBT-C program at Ethos Wellness offers a pathway to healing and wholeness. We are here to help your child realize that growth happens best when they’re not alone.

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