DBT Retreats for Families

Strengthening Safety, Connection, and Skills—Together

Family life can feel overwhelming when emotions run high, communication breaks down, or stress and trauma shape everyday interactions. Our Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Family Retreats are designed to support families to pause, stabilise, and rebuild skills together—in a way that is structured, compassionate, and genuinely practical.

Hosted in the tranquil surrounds of Phuket, our family DBT retreats combine evidence-based skills training with a setting that supports nervous system regulation, rest, and reconnection.

Why a DBT Retreat for Families?

Families often attend therapy in short weekly sessions, while real-life challenges unfold daily. A retreat offers something different:

  • – extended time to learn and practise DBT skills
  • – fewer external pressures and distractions
  • – opportunities to slow down reactive patterns
  • – space for shared reflection and repair

Our retreats are skills-based and psychoeducational, not family therapy intensives. The focus is on learning tools that families can use at home, rather than processing personal histories in a way that might feel unsafe or overwhelming.

What Families Learn

DBT is particularly well suited to family systems where emotions escalate quickly or feel hard to manage.

During the retreat, families learn and practise:

  • – emotion regulation skills to reduce reactivity and burnout
  • – distress tolerance strategies for high-stress moments
  • – mindfulness skills to slow interactions and increase awareness
  • – communication and validation skills that reduce conflict
  • – boundary-setting strategies that balance care and consistency

Skills are taught in clear, accessible language, with guided practice and real-life examples that families recognise immediately.

Trauma-Informed and Family-Sensitive

All family retreats are designed with a trauma-informed lens, recognising that families often carry cumulative stress, developmental trauma, or prolonged periods of crisis.

This means:

  • – predictable daily structure
  • – clear expectations and boundaries
  • – no pressure for disclosure or “sharing personal stories”
  • – choice and flexibility in participation
  • – regular grounding and regulation breaks

Safety—emotional and physical—is prioritised at every stage.

Accommodation Designed for Families

Families stay at the peaceful Patong Rai Rom Yen Resort, nestled away from the busier areas of Patong.

To support comfort, privacy, and rest, families can choose from:

  • – single rooms for individual family members
  • – or a two-bedroom, two-storey private house with a private plunge pool, ideal for families wanting shared space with the option to retreat and reset

This flexibility allows families to be together and have personal space—an essential balance for nervous system regulation and healthy interaction.

A Daily Rhythm That Supports Regulation

Each day follows a predictable, family-friendly structure:

  • – morning skills sessions
  • – breaks for rest, meals, or pool time
  • – short practice exercises rather than long lectures
  • – optional reflection activities
  • – afternoons and evenings free for family connection

This rhythm reduces overwhelm and helps families practise skills in real-world moments—during meals, downtime, or shared activities.

Not a Holiday — Not Exhausting Either

Our family DBT retreats are not therapy holidays; they are also not intensive clinical programs that leave families depleted.

The aim is:

  • – learning without overload
  • – structure without rigidity
  • – growth without pressure

Families often report leaving feeling more hopeful, more equipped, and more connected, rather than emotionally drained.

Who These Retreats Are For

Family DBT retreats are well suited for families who:

  • – experience frequent emotional escalation or conflict
  • – feel “stuck” in repeating patterns
  • – are navigating adolescent or young adult emotion dysregulation
  • – want practical tools rather than insight alone
  • – are stable enough to participate in group-based learning

They are not designed for families in acute crisis requiring immediate clinical intervention.

After the Retreat: Bringing Skills Home

Sustainable change happens after families return home. Each retreat therefore, focuses on:

  • – consolidating key skills
  • – identifying realistic next steps
  • – creating shared language around emotions and behaviour
  • – encouraging small, consistent changes rather than dramatic promises

Families leave with tools they can keep using, long after the retreat ends.

A Thoughtful Invitation

Our DBT Family Retreats in Phuket offer families a rare opportunity to step out of survival mode and into learning, stabilisation, and reconnection—within a calm, respectful, and evidence-based framework.

With thoughtfully designed accommodation, trauma-informed facilitation, and practical DBT skills, these retreats support families to move forward together—more regulated, more confident, and better equipped for everyday life.

Places are limited to preserve safety, learning quality, and a supportive group environment.

Want to learn more about our DBT and RO DBT Retreats? We have programs most of the year, depending on practitioner and accommodation availability. Our individual therapists can usually see you within a week of your initial contact to go through the approach and retreat best for you!

You can get in contact with our team via email to intake@dbtclinics.com or go to our appointments page for more options at https://dbtclinics.com/appointments/