January 2025

To All Participants in FHWS’ DBT Young Adults and Parents of Young Adults Skills Groups:

The goal of skills training is for people to apply and generalize DBT skill practice in multiple life settings, in the most challenging situations independently, so that a sense of mastery and self-confidence is gained over time. Commitment to our groups is crucial to realistically obtain the full benefit of learning and practicing DBT skills in everyday life.

This is the standard model which has come out of years of research supporting the long-term cost savings in decreased higher levels of clinical care when families are required to be part of the skills training program. The reason we have shifted this model to include young adult programming is due to what fellow young adult researchers/colleagues have witnessed (as well as Dr. Gingold) over the past decade. 

The literature on Young Adulthood ("adulting"), has become outdated since Dr. Gingold worked with colleagues/researchers publishing literature on young adulthood being its own developmental period over 20 years ago. Before that, human development was understood as going from adolescence directly into adulthood. Due to the many societal changes that have occurred within the last decade, this developmental period needs to be understood as extended into young adults’ late 20’s (especially if adult children have struggled with mental health issues). 

For years, young adults who needed this treatment but have not allowed their clinicians to speak with their families have impeded their recovery process. There have also been many parents who have taken the approach of being less involved in their children’s treatment since their children are legal adults. These philosophies are not realistic and have made the clinical stabilization process much more costly and inefficient. Therefore, FHWS has implemented the expectation within the last year to support a more effective, cost-savings long-term, streamlined treatment protocol. By billing both groups as one weekly bill, our goal is to have increased participation of young adults and their parents while removing the current obstacles. It is also imperative for participants to understand that HIPAA confidentiality regulations will be maintained within this program change, so young adults are assured their privacy will not be breached.

We understand that there are times when members cannot avoid missing or joining their groups late. In that case, please text Diane Okaly (973-714-6126) or Dr. Gingold (908-872-4977) to give notice as a courtesy to other group participants. Our hope is that all group participants take responsibility for prioritizing this treatment, as well as to understand that without notification, fellow group participants’ schedules are negatively impacted by having to wait for confirmation of attendance status. Both groups are invoiced together as one group charge, and participants are charged each week regardless of attendance to strongly encourage consistent commitment.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rachel Gingold and the FHWS Team