Have you ever attended a work conference or training that provided you with helpful strategies and resources and made you feel fired up for work, only for you to forget a lot of what you learned and fall back into the same routine by the end of the week?
Have you ever been excited to adjust your lifestyle and apply new concepts you learned from a motivational speaker or religious sermon, only to realize you are struggling to uphold these changes a few short days later?
Have you ever been excited to start a new diet or exercise program only to start dreading your healthy meals and workouts a day or two down the road and eventually cave in to your old routine?
You’re not alone. This happens to many people, even if they have the best intentions. While we may be serious about making these lifestyle changes, when reality comes our way, it can be hard to persevere or maintain our determination.
These same challenges can influence your teen’s progress when they attend therapy. While they may have a productive session where they learn appropriate coping mechanisms and make great strides toward effective communication and emotion regulation, they might find it becomes increasingly difficult for them to apply what they’ve learned to their everyday lives as their week goes on.
Many teens have trouble implementing the skills they learn in therapy in their daily lives, especially when they are facing obstacles and other stressful situations that threaten to hinder their progress. This is why many therapists specializing in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) offer phone coaching.
Phone coaching refers to DBT therapists allowing clients to reach them by phone in between therapy sessions.
Thanks to phone coaching, when clients struggle to handle big emotions or stressors throughout the week, or they wrestle with suicidal thoughts and desires to self-harm, they are able to reach their therapist for extra support and guidance.
The benefits of phone coaching
Phone coaching can make a huge difference for your teen if they are struggling to apply the skills they are learning in therapy to their real life. In addition to practical help with implementing these skills, your teen can use phone coaching to navigate tough or triggering situations where they feel overwhelmed. This can help them practice emotional regulation techniques and other DBT skills instead of allowing emotions like fear, anger, and sadness to drive their actions.
Your teen can also use phone coaching as a resource when they are in a crisis situation. While it is more helpful, and typically encouraged, for teens to take advantage of phone coaching far before they reach a moment of crisis, they can call when they are feeling like they are at great risk for harming themselves.
There are many benefits teens will gain by using this resource:
Short, focused conversations with practical coping strategies and skills from their therapist
Extra support in times of crisis
Practice reaching out for help when needed
Real-time help for tough situations
Ability to solidify practices developed during therapy
While some people worry that phone coaching can lead to increased dependence and prevent teens from learning to handle situations on their own, it is an invaluable tool that is designed to be brief and simply reinforce ideas already emphasized during DBT sessions.
Using phone coaching
Phone coaching can look different at different DBT practices.
At Creative Healing, we have an on-demand skills coaching line that teens can text into to get support when they need help or direction in using skills at home. This allows teens to quickly and effectively gain the benefits of phone coaching whenever they need this resource.
Encourage your teen to take advantage of phone coaching if-
you’ve noticed that your teen seems to have great DBT sessions, but struggles to implement what they’ve learned throughout the week.
your teen has difficulty controlling their big emotions at home.
your teen experiences an overwhelming situation or crisis in between therapy sessions.
your teen faces or will face one of their triggers, and they don’t have another appointment for the rest of the week
your teen has the urge to self-harm or begins having suicidal thoughts
When your teen knows that their therapist is available during the time in between their therapy sessions, it can give them the support they need to continue making progress instead of backtracking or allowing their emotions to steamroll the strides they have made.