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For Schools

Now in Pilot at Select Schools

Get Real 
In you Classrooms.

Bring DBT-based emotional intelligence skills training into your school. Built and led by licensed clinical psychologist Dr. J.J. Kelly. Teach your kids emotional intelligence skills and watch joy flourish in your hallways. 

"If we just got DBT into the curriculum in high school, we would prevent a lot of these diagnoses."

— Dr. J.J. Kelly, Psy.D.

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U.S. high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year.

— CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2023

2 in 5

61%

Diagnosed anxiety in U.S. children and adolescents rose 61% from 2016 to 2023

— National Survey of Children's Health, 2023

~50%

of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14, and 75% by age 24. 

—NIMH / Kessler et al., National Comorbidity Survey Replication

The skills students need most aren't in the curriculum. We can change that.

 

TM

The Get Real Program

What Students Learn

Four modules. Real outcomes.

The same DBT skill sets that work clinically, taught for the classroom, in language teens engage with.

01

Mindfulness

Observe, describe, participate. Notice thoughts as thoughts — not as facts.

BETTER FOCUS · LESS REACTIVITY

02

Distress Tolerance

Move through hard moments without making them worse. Radical acceptance as a skill, not a slogan.

FEWER OUTBURSTS · SAFER SELF-MANAGEMENT

03

Emotion Regulation

A working vocabulary for feelings — beyond "good," "bad," and "fine."

LESS AVOIDANCE · MORE SELF-AWARENESS

04

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Ask for things, say no, resolve conflict — without losing yourself or the relationship.

LESS BULLYING · STRONGER PEER SKILLS

How It Works

Three ways to bring it in.

We adapt the program to what your school can absorb. From a full integrated curriculum to a teach-the-teachers model.

Integrated Curriculum

YEAR-LONG · IN-CLASS

The Get REAL Program embedded into a wellness, advisory, or health class. Students earn credit while building EI skills.

  • 4 modules over the school year

  • Lesson plans for your teachers

  • Student workbooks & assessments

  • Quarterly check-ins with Dr. Kelly

After-School Cohort

8 WEEKS · SMALL GROUP

An 8-week cohort run weekly — perfect for schools wanting to pilot before going wider. Mirrors the adult Live program format.

  • Weekly group session

  • Led by Dr. Kelly or trained facilitator

  • Up to 15 students per cohort

  • Optional parent component

Faculty Training

PD WORKSHOP · TEACH THE TEACHERS

Train your faculty & counselors in DBT skills so the framework lives in your school — not just one class.

  • Multi-day intensive PD

  • Skills your faculty use, too

  • Implementation playbook

  • Follow-up coaching calls

Currently in Pilot

Where It's working

[Two to three sentences on what they're seeing in students after 4–8 weeks of the curriculum.]

— [Name, Title, Fusion Academy]

Meet Dr. J.J. Kelly

Dr. Kelly has spent more than twenty years adapting DBT—the gold-standard skills training Marsha Linehan developed in the mid-80s—for the populations who need it most, including adolescents. She wrote her dissertation on DBT for adolescent development, and built The Get REAL Program to put those skills into the hands of teens before they need them clinically.

"If we just got DBT into the curriculum in high school, we would prevent a lot of these diagnoses."

— DR. J.J. KELLY · INSIDE MENTAL HEALTH PODCAST (PSYCH CENTRAL)

Her clients range from teens to corporate execs — but her conviction is that if she had to pick one room to drop these skills into, it would be a high school classroom.

FOR ADMINS & COUNSELORS

Frequently asked

Let's Talk

Bring the Get Real Program to Your School

Dr. J.J. Kelly

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