Summary
This is an ongoing Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) group that meets on Wednesdays from 11:00 - 12:30pm, led by Adrienne Slusky, LCMHC and Kristen Johanson, LCMHC. This group spends six weeks studying and practicing each DBT module or skill set. The four DBT modules emphasize skill building in the following areas: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. DBT can be helpful in addressing coping mechanisms that are no longer working for us. We often develop these coping mechanisms as a way to respond to painful events from our pasts. Unfortunately, the very skills that may have helped us survive and combat stressors at one moment in time are either not effective anymore or are creating difficulties in our lives. The purpose of DBT is to teach new skills or behaviors that can be applied to current stressors to ultimately help us feel better and to cope more effectively. Each group will include a mindfulness exercise, general discussion, a presentation of a DBT skill, and participant examples of practical skill application for their everyday lives.
The Group Schedule is as Follows:
Module I: Mindfulness (11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 11/26, 12/3, 12/10) CLOSED
Module II: Distress Tolerance (1/10, 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/21) CLOSED
Module III: Emotion Regulation (3/21, 3/28, 4/4, 4/11, 4/18, 4/25) CLOSED
Module IV: Interpersonal Effectiveness (5/22, 5/29, 6/05, 6/12, 6/19, 6/26) OPEN
Registration: Advanced registration and brief information session for this program is required. Please call 802-658-9440 ext. 138 to schedule an appointment with Adrienne.
Insurance: Insurance may cover the cost of this group. If you have health insurance, the instructor will perform an assessment during your initial session to determine if your plan can be used.
Cost: If paying out of pocket the cost of each six week module is $162.00.
About Adrienne Slusky
Adrienne Slusky graduated from Antioch University New England in July 2010 with a Master of
Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
As a mental health counselor, Adrienne uses a person-centered approach with her clients. She
supports clients as the “experts” of their lives and demonstrates unconditional positive regard
and empathy. Additional approaches and methods Adrienne applies, depending on client needs,
include Relational/Cultural, Internal Family Systems, Cognitive Behavioral, coping skills from
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing techniques. Adrienne also
weaves Mindfulness techniques and Buddhist Psychology into all of the above methods. She
often discusses the principles of Mindfulness with clients and encourages them to apply these
principles to their lives when noticing thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations.
Adrienne’s prior clinical experience includes a two year internship at the University of
Vermont’s College Counseling Center in Burlington, Vermont where she primarily provided
individual counseling to college and graduate students ages 18-26 presenting with a variety
of mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, bipolar disorder,
adjustment disorder, eating concerns, and relationship and familial concerns. Adrienne has
also facilitated therapeutic groups including Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy
(MBCT), Dialectal Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills, Supportive Counseling, and Expressive Arts
Therapy. Recently, Adrienne worked as a case manager/group leader/clinician at an Intensive
Outpatient Therapy Program that primarily used Dialectical Behavior Therapy to address
ongoing quality of life interfering behaviors.
Adrienne provides ongoing, individual therapy to adults 18 + tailored to increase self-esteem,
improve relationships, and foster compassion towards self and others. Adrienne embraces the
concepts of basic goodness and compassion and assumes best intentions. She believes that
individuals do the best they can in the moment, using what’s within their awareness. Adrienne
sees counseling as an opportunity to jointly determine what new, helpful perspective, skills, or
insights can be learned or uncovered and subsequently applied to a life stressor or challenging
situation to enhance a client’s sense of well-being and overall quality of life.
About Kristen Johanson
I received a Master of Science in Counseling in 2003 from UVM and am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. With my prior work as a social worker and my current role as a psychotherapist, I have accrued over ten years of experience working with adolescents, college-aged students, families and individuals on sorting through a variety of life’s difficulties and problems. A majority of my training and post graduate work has been with adolescents struggling with substance use issues. At the Vermont Center for Yoga and Therapy, I work with adults and adolescents who may be struggling with problems such as but not limited to: substance abuse, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, parenting concerns, and adjustment to challenging life transitions.
I practice from primarily narrative, cognitive-behavioral, existential and motivational enhancement theoretical perspectives. In other words, I might choose from a variety of approaches to explore ways to alleviate a person’s distress or discomfort depending on what a person’s goals are for treatment and the nature of the problem. No matter the issue or goal, I draw from my belief in treating life’s problems with respect, kindness and humor. I also tend to focus on a person’s strengths and inherent assets and am always interested and curious about the aspirations and dreams someone might have for their life; particularly the areas which are being masked or hidden by a problem. I choose this focus because I believe it helps both me and the person consulting me to creatively and genuinely navigate the many twist and turns created by the presence of problems in our lives.
Therapy is most effective when there is a good fit between client and therapist so I encourage anyone interested in getting to know me further or finding out more about how I approach my therapeutic work to schedule a brief meeting or phone interview. I am in the office on Mondays and Fridays and I check my email daily. I look forward to hearing from you!
