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Parents DBT Skills Classes

Parenting is one of the most rewarding journeys in life—but also one of the most demanding. Between balancing reParenting is one of the most rewarding journeys in life—but also one of the most demanding. Between balancing responsibilities, supporting children through emotional challenges, and navigating the pressures of modern family life, many caregivers feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to respond in ways that genuinely help. Parents DBT Skills Classes provide a structured, evidence-based path for families seeking calmer homes, healthier communication, and stronger relationships.

At Oakland DBT Mindfulness Center, these classes are designed not as quick fixes but as lasting solutions rooted in compassion, skill-building, and resilience. By drawing from the principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), parents gain tools that work in everyday life—at the dinner table, during homework struggles, or in moments of emotional crisis.

Why Parenting Feels Harder Today

Raising children has always required patience and adaptability, but today’s environment adds unique pressures. Rising rates of adolescent anxiety and depression, combined with the impact of social media, academic competition, and family stress, create a complex backdrop for parents. Traditional approaches like punishment, “tough love,” or avoiding difficult conversations often escalate conflict rather than resolve it.

Caregivers want to be supportive, yet many feel trapped in cycles of frustration, guilt, or self-doubt. What’s often missing isn’t love, but practical skills for regulating emotions, setting boundaries, and building trust. That’s where a structured skills-based program becomes invaluable.

What Sets These Classes Apart

Unlike conventional parenting workshops, these sessions integrate therapeutic principles with hands-on practice. Participants don’t just hear about strategies—they try them, refine them, and learn to apply them in real family situations.

Key features include:

  • Immediate practicality: Skills that can be used right away at home.
  • Supportive group learning: A community of parents facing similar challenges, reducing isolation.
  • Professional facilitation: Guidance from clinicians trained in DBT and family systems.
  • Confidence building: A safe space to learn, make mistakes, and grow without judgment.


This unique combination helps parents move beyond theory and into action, fostering skills that create real change.

Parents skills classes focused on family connection.
Learning strategies to strengthen family bonds.

The Guiding Philosophy

The foundation of these classes lies in the core principles of DBT, adapted for parenting. The philosophy emphasizes balance and compassion over perfectionism or control:

  • Validation over judgment: Recognizing emotions without dismissing or minimizing them.
  • Structure with empathy: Maintaining healthy boundaries while nurturing connection.
  • Collaboration, not control: Replacing power struggles with cooperative problem-solving.
  • Progress, not perfection: Valuing steady growth rather than chasing impossible ideals.


These principles shift the dynamic from constant tension to mutual understanding, empowering both parents and children to work together.

How the Program Works

The program is typically delivered over eight weeks, with weekly sessions lasting between 90 and 120 minutes. Each module builds on the last, offering a gradual progression from foundational stabilization to advanced strategies for long-term resilience.

Module 1: Stabilization

The journey begins by creating calm in the home. Parents learn to break escalation cycles, validate emotions (their own and their child’s), and recognize when to step back without losing authority. This stage lays the groundwork for meaningful change.

Module 2: Conflict Resolution and Distress Tolerance

Next, caregivers practice tools for navigating high-stakes disagreements without losing connection. Skills include finding common ground, tolerating distress without impulsive reactions, and addressing realities that cannot be changed while still holding hope.

Module 3: Advanced Application and Long-Term Growth

Finally, the focus shifts to sustaining progress. Parents integrate empathic listening with consistent boundaries, apply advanced behavioral strategies, and safeguard emotional safety. The emphasis is on long-term collaboration, resilience, and healthier family dynamics.

Core Skills Parents Develop

Every session introduces actionable tools that parents can use immediately in their daily lives:

  • Mindfulness: Staying Grounded During Emotional Storms.
  • Validation: Affirming emotions without condoning harmful behavior.
  • Self-compassion: Replacing harsh self-criticism with supportive self-talk.
  • Distress tolerance: Managing intense feelings without escalating conflict.
  • Emotion regulation: Understanding, labeling, and calming difficult emotions.
  • Balanced parenting: Blending firmness with flexibility through the “middle path.”
  • Effective Communication: Turning Reactive Exchanges into Respectful Dialogue.


These skills not only help parents respond with clarity but also model healthier emotional habits for children.

Real-Life Impact on Families

The application of these strategies often leads to noticeable shifts in family life:

  • A calmer home environment with fewer explosive conflicts.
  • Stronger parent–child relationships built on trust and respect.
  • Reduced guilt and feelings of helplessness for caregivers.
  • More effective problem-solving approaches that replace cycles of frustration.
  • Renewed hope and connection, even in families previously stuck in conflict patterns.


While change takes commitment, many families begin to experience a more cooperative and supportive dynamic within the first few weeks of consistent practice.

Who Benefits Most

These classes are designed for a broad spectrum of caregivers, including:

  • Parents of children who work with emotional regulation or behavioral difficulties.
  • Caregivers of teens facing anxiety, depression, or strained family relationships.
  • Parents supporting young adults transitioning toward independence.
  • Families looking to break entrenched cycles of conflict and miscommunication.


The program is inclusive, welcoming single parents, blended families, and caregivers from diverse backgrounds.

The Importance of Parent Well-Being

Supporting children effectively requires parents to be grounded themselves. These classes emphasize self-care as a central part of the process:

  • Using mindfulness and grounding to manage personal stress.
  • Establishing healthy boundaries that prevent burnout.
  • Letting go of perfectionism in favor of self-compassion.


When caregivers feel steadier, they are better equipped to guide their families with patience and clarity.pped to guide their families with patience and clarity.nce within weeks of starting the program.

Parents skills classes to build stronger family ties.
Parents learning tools for healthier connections.

Why Choose a Professional Program

Some parenting resources focus narrowly on discipline or communication, but professional DBT-informed classes combine emotional awareness with actionable skills. With licensed clinicians leading the process, parents benefit from both therapeutic expertise and a supportive learning environment.

This guidance ensures families don’t just gain knowledge but also gain the confidence to apply it consistently, even in difficult moments.

Taking the Next Step

Parenting will always involve challenges, but it doesn’t have to feel isolating or overwhelming. By participating in Parents DBT Skills Classes, caregivers gain the structure, tools, and community needed to replace conflict with cooperation and resilience.

At the Oakland DBT Mindfulness Center, the goal is to help families transition from survival mode to thriving—creating homes where communication is open, emotions are respected, and relationships are strengthened.

If you’re ready to build calmer routines, stronger bonds, and renewed hope for your family, contact us today to learn more about upcoming classes.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What are Parents DBT Skills Classes designed to teach?

These classes focus on practical tools that help parents manage stress, improve communication, and build healthier relationships at home. Skills like validation, mindfulness, and emotion regulation are taught in ways that can be applied immediately in daily life.

Do I need prior knowledge of DBT to join?

Not at all. The program is designed for all caregivers, whether or not they’ve had therapy experience. Each session introduces skills step by step, making it easy to follow and apply even if you’re entirely new to DBT concepts.

How soon will families notice changes after starting?

Many parents begin to see subtle improvements—like calmer conversations and fewer escalations—within the first few weeks. Long-term results come with consistent practice, which helps families create lasting patterns of trust and cooperation.

Can both parents or caregivers participate together?

Yes, and it’s highly encouraged when possible. Attending together creates consistency at home, allows both caregivers to practice the same tools, and reduces mixed signals for children navigating emotional challenges.

What makes Parents DBT Skills Classes different from traditional parenting programs?

Unlike general workshops, these classes combine therapeutic principles with real-life practice. Parents not only learn strategies but also try them in a supportive environment, guided by professionals trained in DBT and family systems.

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Rajesh Jagannathan

Rajesh Jagannathan

Rajesh Jagannathan was born in India and earned a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT, Madras. After spending a few youthful years in the Masters/Ph.D. program at the Ohio State University moved to the Bay Area for work. Since then he has stayed in the Bay Area and worked in tech for the better part of 20+ years. He has been with the center since its inception playing a key advisory role on tech related matters.

He enjoys living in the bay area with his family, exploring the outdoors in California and the world at large. While interests change over time some constants through the years have been travel, cooking, painting and board games. Lately all his spare time has been consumed by pickleball.

David Pepper

David Pepper, MD (Retired)

Dr. Pepper was born in San Francisco and attended UC Berkeley and then Medical and Graduate School in Iowa. Returning to California, he practiced and taught full spectrum Family Medicine with UCSF for 30+ years, working in Fresno, San Francisco and Contra Costa Counties. 1,000 births and 1,000 deaths one could say – with thousands of Families in between… in the ER, Hospital and Outpatient Clinics – always with a focus on Family and Community.
 
He has a long interest in Psychedelics and completed the CPTR program through CIIS in 2023. He is passionate about helping people think about how to craft their second half of life with meaning, including planning for a natural End of Life process that is not over medicalized.  He believes that a well planned End of Life allows people to live well.  More about his work can be found here.  
 
He brings his expertise in clinical assessment, and the tools that support this to working with the Team at Oakland DBT and Mindfulness Center to develop best practices for working with clients seeking expanded state treatment.  He collaborates with his wife who also works with clients in Expanded States.  He enjoys his 4 children, gardening, hiking, and community.
Rochelle

Rochelle Frank, PsyD

Rochelle Frank, PhD is a clinical psychologist in Oakland, CA with over 30 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Dr. Frank earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at Syracuse University and completed her clinical training at Yale Psychiatric Institute. She specializes in evidence-based transdiagnostic treatment of  complex and co-occurring mood, anxiety, and trauma disorders in adults and adolescents, and related  problems in high-conflict couples and families. 

In addition to her private practice Dr.  Frank is an assistant clinical professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and also  holds faculty and supervisory appointments at The Wright Institute and the University of California San  Francisco School of Medicine.  She is co-author of The transdiagnostic road map to case formulation and  treatment planning: Practical guidance for clinical decision making (Frank & Davidson, 2014; New Harbinger),  a contributing author to S. G. Hofmann & S. C. Hayes (Eds.), Beyond the DSM (2020, New Harbinger), and  currently serves on the board of directors for the Institute for Better Health.

Dr. Frank has been involved with Oakland DBT and Mindfulness Center since 2012.  She has served as a clinical consultant and focuses on helping the Team bring a transdiagnostic process-based perspective to case formulation and treatment planning, as well as integrating methods from other third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies into the DBT model.  

In addition to enjoying time with her family, Dr.  Frank is an avid golfer, home chef, and a frequent beta-tester of her clinical skills while skiing and mountain biking.

Michael Stanger

Michael Stanger, MD

I am a board-certified psychiatrist practicing in California and Colorado across a range of settings – inpatient, outpatient, emergency and partial hospital, with current affiliations at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Boulder Community Health.

I have a particular interest in the therapeutic utility of ketamine to support psychotherapy. I began working with ketamine in 2016, initially in my California private practice where I administered oral and intramuscular doses. I have since continued to support therapist access and to develop understanding around the most effective use of these modality. In related work, I have mentored with the CIIS Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research and taught sessions with the Polaris Insight Center on ketamine.

My background includes childhood immigration from South Africa to New York, working in the technology industry for several years and then traveling in an unscripted manner to arrive at the awareness that medicine, and ultimately psychiatry would be the path to be helpful to others in an applied way.

Chrysanthe

Chrysanthe Christodoulou

Operations Manager

Chrysanthe is our Operations Manager and one of our in-house Mindfulness Experts. She connects with new clients as they come into the Center, oversees day to day operations and runs special projects.  She is instrumental in supporting the Team by bringing joy, flow and ease.

Chrysanthe studied Meditation, Yoga, and Mindfulness with some of the most respected teachers of our time. She also holds a BS in Economics.  This combination of skills ensures our Center runs efficiently behind the scenes and lends wisdom to our budding Mindfulness Program.

Her local teaching career has spanned the Bay Area and beyond: overseas in Spain, Chile, Greece, and Amsterdam; and locally in San Francisco, Marin, Berkeley, Oakland, and Walnut Creek. Chrysanthe honors the magic in both movement and stillness, stirring energy and witnessing what emerges as everything settles into place. 

When Chrysanthe isn’t handling the business end of the Center or running mindfulness programming, you can find her exploring trails with her wolf pup, finding connection in community, and enjoying the sun and the sea.

Priya Jogia

Priya Jogia

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

​​Priya Jogia is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). Since 2013, she has worked in various clinical settings including: community mental health, hospital, and outpatient programs. Priya’s also spent time in Vietnam studying international social work and the relationship between culture, ethnicity, and mental health.

Priya is an active practitioner of mindfulness-based behavioral therapies including DBT and ACT, and has extensive training in CBT. As a DBT therapist, she’s seen the positive impact of using DBT skills in her own life, and is strongly committed to helping clients live meaningful lives that are aligned with their values.

Priya has an interest in perinatal mental health and working with BIPOC populations, and she strives to integrate a social and racial justice lens into her work. While being a therapist has brought a lot of meaning to Priya’s life, she tries not to take herself too seriously, and gets much joy from being a mum, being in nature, and cuddling with her dog.

Jay Indik

Jay Indik

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

Jay brings his compassion, creativity, and equanimity to support each person who seeks therapy.. He believes that what makes each person happy is connected to their deepest sense of what is important. Jay listens for how each client can idiosyncratically transform their suffering into a happier life. As a result of working with Jay folks’ learn to address unwanted behavior, regulate their emotions, recover from individual or cultural trauma, repair relationships, and organize their behavior consistent with their values Jay has intensive training and has practiced the following modalities for decades: DBT, Narrative Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, Sensory Modulation, Psychodynamic Treatment and Expressive Arts Therapies. Jay specializes in working with couples, parents, parent child dyads and young adults, as well as with individuals from mid-life through retirement. Jay’s experience as a theater director, parent, teacher, and executive combined with his knowledge of research validated treatments allows him to best relate and serve each individual.

Jay has two adult children (one daughter, one non-binary), a “Real Dads Love Trans kids” t-shirt, and one amazing grandchild he watches one day a week.

Ari Tavano

Ariana Tavano

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

Ari Tavano is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). She has worked in an array of clinical settings for over ten years, and utilizes the diversity of her experience to foster a therapeutic frame rooted in curiosity and empathic regard. She specializes in working with those looking to cultivate self-growth, increase interpersonal efficacy, and develop an affirming relationship with their internal worlds.

Ari extends a humanistic approach to her work by nourishing the whole self – according to one’s intersectionality and inherent wisdom. She is trained in DBT and other treatment modalities, including CBT, Existentialism, and Trauma Theory. She harmonizes the concepts of behaviorism and intuitiveness of relational healing, with opportunities to explore psychedelics and expanded-state work.

Ari invites you to build capacity for both processing and playfulness. She prioritizes humor and is often found in the ocean, on the dance floor, and imagining her next adventure. Ari has also worked as a licensed public school teacher in Hawai’i and documentary photographer in South Africa. She is committed to equity, inclusion, and the pursuit of social justice.

Alyson Barry

Alyson Barry, PhD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Alyson Barry is a licensed clinical psychologist (PhD). Since 2005, she’s gained experience in diverse areas of practice, including inpatient hospitals, intensive outpatient programs, community mental health, and private practice. Alyson came to DBT in 2013 through her own yoga and meditation practice, which led her to seek additional training in mindfulness-based therapies. Drawn to work with people who’ve experienced developmental trauma, she begins by addressing what’s happening in the present, helping her clients develop practical skills that fundamentally improve how they interact with themselves and the world around them. As a result of this work, this can over time, set the stage for healing the older wounds. She believes in a collaborative and consent-based treatment approach, working to ensure that clients understand and are in agreement with any diagnosis or therapeutic technique. She hopes that this transparency can help to create an environment of respect for her clients’ choice, autonomy, and knowledge of themselves. She is also a big believer in bringing humor and irreverence into therapy. In her free time, Alyson enjoys snorkeling, hanging out with her cat, and spending time with friends. Alyson is available to work via telehealth with clients in California, Colorado, and Florida.
Heather Macbeth

Heather Macbeth

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (MFT)

Heather co-founded the Oakland DBT & Mindfulness Center in 2012. She is a licensed MFT. She offers a relational, somatic, experiential and humanistic approach to her work and is committed to relieving psychological suffering. Her style is both compassionate and gentle as well as directive and aims to be supportive of each person’s unique needs. Her work focuses on emotion regulation, changing persistent cycles of self-blame, listening more closely to intuitive knowing and increasing self compassion. She is committed and dedicated to helping her clients have a life where they can find themselves thrive vs. just survive. Working as a therapist, clinical supervisor, skills group and workshop facilitator has brought her a lot of joy. In addition to a private practice setting she has worked in community mental health organizations with disenfranchised youth and families and in public schools as a Behavioral Specialist. Heather works with adults and teens. She is intensively trained in DBT and other treatment modalities such as; Gestalt, Psychodynamic, MBSR, ands Expressive Arts. She is certified in EAP (Equine-assisted psychotherapy) and offers equine-facilitated learning workshops in the Bay Area. Additionally, she has received her training in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy through the Polaris Insight Center in San Francisco and is inspired by the potential healing benefits of expanded states of consciousness work.

In her free time, and in ideal worlds, she is exploring jungles, hot springs, beaches, hanging out with animals (large and small), enjoying good food, travel and most importantly time with loved ones.

Christine Benvenuto

Christine Benvenuto

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (MFT)

Christine is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the co-founder and Executive Director of the Oakland DBT and Mindfulness Center. She brings over 25 years of experience in mental health to her work, with a background in working with people in all walks of life in residential, outpatient and home based settings. A systems thinker, valuing sustaining relationships, she works with individuals, couples and groups, with a strong belief that small shifts can create dynamic changes.

She blends a lifetime of interest and practice in somatics, meditation, embodiment, psychedelics and the arts with a passion for social justice, nature and thriving ecosystems. Her mentors are psychologically savvy, center co-existence, value differences and maintain a sense of humor.

Her professional training spans from depth oriented, expanded state and attachment based to behavioral styles of treatment. She co-creates a therapeutic container that feels collaborative, warm, dynamic, thoughtful and deeply resonant.

She works with individuals, couples and groups, offering ongoing weekly therapy, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Consultation.

Along side of her professional life, Christine is grateful for her extended web of relationships as daughter, sister, wife, friend, step-mom and community connector.