DBT Skills Training Group Participant Expectations

It is important participants understand and commit to the following expectations upon agreeing to attend the DBT Skills Training group

• Attend all sessions. If you are sick or have a valid reason you cannot attend a session, please inform the facilitators as soon as you can.
• If you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs OR if you are in an active crisis, please do not attend group.
• You must keep your camera on during virtual group sessions.
• While group members are invited to participate by sharing their experiences and ideas, no one will be expected to share more than they are comfortable with. To maintain a safe group environment, sharing specific details of trauma or life-threatening behaviors is not allowed.
• It is possible that certain topics may trigger or uncover emotions and memories both during and after group. In this event, group facilitators can debrief with participants during and after group. However, we recommended that all group members have access to an individual therapist/counsellor outside of group for additional support.
• What happens in group will stay within the group. You are required to keep the names, comments and experiences of group members confidential.
• Treat others and yourself with respect.

Confidentiality

Information you provide as part of our enrollment process, during group, or in individual sessions with the DBT Skills Training group facilitator will not be disclosed to anyone without your written consent (or your parent/guardians if applicable).

However, situations may arise where the DBT Skills Training group facilitator would legally be required to share your information and break confidentiality. These situations include:

• When there is risk of imminent danger to yourself or others
• When served with a subpoena or court order
• When there is suspicion of abuse and/or neglect of a minor or dependent adult.
• When there is suspicion of a health care professional sexually abusing and/or sexually harassing clients.

Evaluation and Data Collection

McMan Calgary & Area collects information that is necessary for the evaluation of the services provided.

The DBT Skills Training group facilitators may ask you to complete short survey at the first and last group session. You may also be asked to complete a satisfaction survey at the final group session and three months post completion of the groups. These surveys allow us to evaluate services and collect information required to report to our community supporters.

Your feedback helps make our services better. If you have feedback for the DBT Skills Training group facilitators at any time, please do not hesitate to contact them at dbt@mcmancalgary.ca.

Digital Service Delivery

McMan Calgary & Area takes precautions to ensure your privacy and the safety of all personal and electronic information. We take reasonable measures to ensure that our computers, servers and software are protected from breaches of information and viruses.

The use of video chat or conferencing software such as zoom will allow us to meet face to face and as a group online. Zoom will not access, record, or store any video data.

With all software, there is a risk that the data could be accessed and recorded without our knowledge by someone else. Should the software’s security measures fail, there is also a risk that data you store on these types of software (such as your username and password) could be collected by someone else.

Zoom allows any user to record the video chat and will let the other user if it is being recorded. For the purpose of DBT Skills Training groups, and individual meetings, we will not be recording them and ask that you do not either.

McMan Calgary & Area’s Grievance Procedure

The grievance procedure is the process followed when individual concerns or issues related to services received during the DBT Skills Training group arise.

1. If you have a concern or issue about the services you are receiving during the DBT Skills Training group, please discuss the concern directly with the DBT Skills Training group facilitator, Mabel Reimer: 403-519-4026 / dbt@mcmancalgry.ca.
2. If the DBT Skills Training group facilitator is unable or unwilling to do so, or if your concern was not addressed successfully, the next step is to bring the concern to the Program Director – Tim Veitch: (403) 508-6299 / tim.veitch@mcmancalgary.ca.
3. If you are not satisfied with this response, your concern/ issue would be raised with the Executive Director. Should this process not resolve the concern/ issue, it will be raised with McMan Calgary & Area's Board of Directors.