While at Four Winds Hospital your child has been learning about DBT and learning DBT skills to manage his/her emotions in a more successful way. It might be helpful for you to know these skills so you can help your child when he/she returns home. They are useful for adults as well!

When your child becomes angry he/she has learned to:

• Be mindful and remove self from situation and breathe deeply
• Use opposite action and walk AWAY rather than attack
• Use mindfulness skills like 3-2-1 or the Color Game
• Look at the Pros and Cons of actions

When your child becomes very sad he/she has learned to:

• Journal about feelings
• Practice Radical Acceptance
• Use opposite action and be with others rather than isolate
• Be mindful of the urges to hurt self without actually doing it

When your child becomes anxious he/she has learned to:

• Practice mindfulness by taking deep breaths and focusing on the breath
• Distract by getting involved fully in an activity
• Recognize that their feelings will not last forever

When you and your child have a disagreement he/she has learned to

• Use the GIVE skill
• Walk the Middle Path

What can you do when you see your children struggling?

• Let them know that you understand how difficult things are for them at the moment-validate them
• Encourage them to use the skills they have learned
• Try not to give them a lot of attention after they have acted in an unhealthy manner so you do not reinfore the behavior-be matter of fact, not emotional
• Thank them for coming to you for help with a problem before they act out
• Try to be non-judgmental and handle the situation in a matter of fact manner rather than react emotionally