Today’s guest is Mallory Grimste, Licensed Clinical Social Worker located in Woodbridge CT. She specializes in helping anxious, depressed, and emotional teens create a life worth living. Her clients often leave therapy with better self-esteem and improved relationships now that they have the skills needed to be more mindful, cope with life’s stress, communicate more effectively, and regulate their emotions.
In this episode you will learn:
- Therapy process and creating treatment goals
- What is DBT and seven skills teens can use to manage strong emotions
- How treatment goals improve communication between parents and teens
Therapy and DBT model
- Mallory shares her process in putting parents and teens at ease regarding therapy
- Establish coping skills at beginning of the therapy process
- DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)-using module on stress tolerance or coping skills
- Four types of Coping Skills
- Distracting
- Improving the moment
- Self-soothing
- Crisis Survival
- Using coping skills helps teens move through the emotions, then they can problem solve the situation if needed
Improve the moment skills:
- I=imagery
- M=Meaning
- P=Prayer
- R=Relaxation
- O=Focusing on the moment or one thing at a time
- V=Vacation
- E=Encouragement
- Mallory gives her teen clients bookmarks with encouragement examples
Treatment Goals and What to expect:
- She discussed how she collaborates with the teen and parents in creating treatment goals
- Treatment plan created after initial assessment
- Teen and parents shares what they want their life to look like after treatment is done and these become the goals of therapy
- Every 3 months do a check on goals and create new if needed
- Helps increase dialog between parents and their teen
- Do not force your teenager into therapy if they are not in imminent danger because you can turn them off to therapy in the future
Mallory’s Information
https://www.mallorygrimste.com
http://www.mallorygrimste.com/launchingyourdaughter
Books (disclaimer affiliate links)
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation & Distress Tolerance by McKay, Wood and Brantley