Basic Skills for Dialectical Behavior Therapy

DBT is an empirically supported treatment for individuals with severe emotional regulation problems. Part of the treatment consists of teaching individuals specific skill sets in mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation and crisis management.

This advanced action-based learning course will focus on direct practice and implementation of dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder and other psychiatric and psychological problems. This course will cover dialectical behavioral therapy approaches to address suicidal thoughts and actions, self-harm, emotion dysregulation, behavioral dysregulation, cognitive dysregulation, and self-dysregulation. Emphasis will be given to practical application of therapy techniques and troubleshooting difficult and challenging clinical circumstances. An overview of cultural considerations for dialectical behavioral therapy will also be provided. Students will learn an overview of these skills and strategies to integrate these skills into their clinical practice in a variety of individual and group therapy settings.