Page 4 - Aftercare Orientation Manual

How is Aftercare Different From My DBT Program Group?
The aftercare program is designed as an individual therapy service. You will meet once per week with your aftercare provider, in addition to meeting with your regular individual therapist. It is important that you make the commitment to your own treatment and progress. Similar to your previous DBT program group, aftercare works the best when you are invested in your treatment and progress.
Aftercare is directed by the individual rather than the therapist. This means that the therapist does not teach each skill or module in a predetermined sequence. Rather, the individual generates what would be important or helpful to discuss that day. Because topics are generated by the individual, the teaching portion of the session is focused on advanced skills application, or even strategies that are not tied directly to DBT(for example, self-compassion strategies). This makes the teaching personally relevant to your current interests and concerns, and hopefully fun! The purpose of the teaching is to string together the skills to create new behavior patterns that are in keeping with your goals and values and that move you closer to your long term goals.
Another notable difference between aftercare and your previous DBT program is the diary card. An example of the aftercare diary card is on pages 7 & 8 of this packet. Pages 9 & 10 go into more discussion about how to report the aftercare diary card. The aftercare diary card asks you to focus on different areas than your previous DBT diary card. Using a new diary card can be a difficult transition at first, so it is important to ask questions and use your therapist as a resource.
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