Practical Approach to Application of DBT

People’s learning and change styles are influenced by multiple factors including genetic makeup, early learning experiences, previous teaching, culture, and motivation. Clients with various mental health conditions have learned harmful coping strategies that keep them stuck. These behaviors interfere with their abilities to develop a life worth living.

Clients learn better and recover more quickly when therapeutic teaching methods match their preferred learning styles. However, a gap exists between therapists’ knowledge and application that can often be the difference between lasting behavioral change and continued struggle for their clients. This 1-day seminar teaches you how to use each of the DBT skill areas (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness) to effectively promote change in both a group and individual setting. Gain an understanding of how to apply these skills to clients with multiple and complex mental health conditions. At the end of the course, you can confidentially apply the step-by-step process for conducting DBT, troubleshoot common problems in group therapy, and enhance motivation and commitment to treatment. 

Course Content

DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY: OVERVIEW

• Dialectics
• Model of DBT
• DBT effectiveness research
• DBT skills training in a group format
• DBT skills training in an individual format
• Teaching dialectics
• Homework assignments and noncompliance
• Managing treatment interfering behaviors

CORE MINDFULNESS SKILLS

• States of mind
• What skills
• Activities for what skills
• How skills
• Activities for how skills
• Hands-on training      

DISTRESS TOLERANCE SKILLS

• Crisis survival strategies
• Wise mind ACCEPTS
• Self-soothing skills
• IMPROVE the moment
• Pros and cons sheet
• Radical acceptance
• Half-smiling

EMOTION REGULATION SKILLS

• Framework for understanding emotions
• Biopsychosocial model of emotions
• Increase positive emotions
• Decrease emotional suffering
• Opposite action

INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS SKILLS

• Prioritization for effective interpersonal strategy
• Attending to relationships
• Getting and keeping relationships
• Self-respect
• Factors interfering with interpersonal effectiveness
• Make requests
• Saying “no”