The 6 Advantages of DBT Training for Clinicians
Demand
Given the high prevalence of emotion regulation difficulties and the effectiveness of DBT in treating these, there tends to be a consistent demand for DBT-trained therapists.
Versatility
DBT has been found effective for a variety of mental health conditions, including borderline personality disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders. Having DBT in your toolkit can make you a more versatile mental health professional.
Evidence-Based Approach
DBT is an evidence-based treatment modality. It has been scientifically studied and found to be effective, which can enhance your credibility as a practitioner.
Client Engagement
The techniques used in DBT can build a strong therapeutic alliance, leading to better client engagement. This can improve client outcomes and satisfaction, which can in turn enhance your job satisfaction.
Personal Development
The skills that you master as part of your DBT training can also benefit you personally.
For example, learning enhanced mindfulness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance can lead to better personal resilience.
Improve Client Retention
DBT often involves regular individual therapy combined with group skills training, enhancing client retention in treatment.
Understand DBT: The Four Components
Before diving into practical application, ensure you understand the basics. DBT is a therapy designed to help people suffering from mood disorders, self-destructive behaviors, and relational problems. It combines standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation with concepts of distress tolerance derived from Buddhist meditative practice.
DBT can be thought of as a “program”, given the different tools, modalities, and resources it uses.
Teaching skills is one of the main objectives and requires time and practice. Therefore, DBT will typically last for a year at a minimum.
The four components of DBT include:
- Individual therapy
- Group skills training
- Intersession contact
- Peer consultation
Individual therapy
The objective of individual therapy is to enhance motivation toward addressing life-threatening behaviors, therapy-interfering behaviors, and quality-of-life-interfering behaviors.
Individual therapy involves weekly standard DBT sessions, where dialectical and validation treatment strategies take place.
Group skills training
The objective of group skills training is to enhance the patient’s capabilities by learning new skills and generalizing these to other aspects of their lives.
Group skills training involves structured and psycho-educational group activities. Group sessions act as a complement to individual therapy; these are generally offered on a weekly basis and can take between 2-2.5 hours.
The group uses a Skills Training Manual. This manual includes four skills modules: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Intersession contact: phone coaching
DBT is the only model of psychotherapy in which intersession contact is mandatory for treatment.
The objective of intersession contact is to ensure skills generalization through coaching. Helping the client to develop skills in order to prevent life-threatening behaviors (for example, non-suicidal self-harm) or seeking unnecessary hospitalizations.
Intersession contact involves coaching calls that often last between 10 and 20 minutes.
Peer consultation
The objective of peer consultation is to provide support for therapists, as well as improve their skills and motivation in standard DBT.
Peer consultation involves weekly peer team meetings, during which DBT therapists provide case consultation and support related to treatment.
Get Familiar With the Main Textbooks for Therapists
Below, you can find a list of the most influential books in DBT for therapists.
- DBT Skills Training Manual
- Doing Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A Practical Guide (Guides to Individualized Evidence-Based Treatment)
- DBT Principles in Action: Acceptance, Change, and Dialectics
- The Expanded Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Manual: DBT for Self-Help and Individual & Group Treatment Settings, 2nd Edition
Practice Mindfulness
Since DBT has roots in Buddhist meditative practice, learning mindfulness techniques is a good starting point.
DBT Training Pathway - $397
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DBT Training Pathway: From Foundations to Specific Applications
Become a confident practitioner with our comprehensive DBT training. Learn from basics to diverse therapy applications including trauma, mood disorders, and self-harm.
