DBT Training Pathway: From Foundations to Specific Applications
Become an effective DBT-informed practitioner, learning at your own pace.
An intensive DBT training pathway for clinicians
This training provides you with the critical skills required to treat your clients using DBT principles effectively.
Embark on your journey beginning with the ‘what’ — the basic foundations of DBT, and gradually progress by learning the ‘how’ — the application of these principles.
Every module is designed not just for comprehension but for immediate application, allowing you to translate what you learn directly into improvements in client outcomes.
With more than 30 hours of engaging video content, you’ll have all the tools you need to succeed as a DBT-informed therapist.
Why "DBT Training Pathway"?
- Enhance your confidence by mastering how to apply DBT principles to specific situations such as trauma, self-harm, mood disorders, and teenage populations.
- Teach clients concrete ways to interact more effectively with people in their lives.
What will I learn in this training?
Through this training, you will:
- Obtain a solid framework that provides clarity on how to organize and optimize your therapy sessions.
- Learn how to seamlessly integrate DBT into your practice, tailoring it to meet diverse client needs.
- Develop language and strategies that resonate with clients and empower them with concrete skills for better interpersonal interactions.
DBT Training Pathway Components
DBT Foundations
2 courses and 1 clinical case
Learn the foundations of DBT in this course led by Stephanie Vaughn, Psy.D., a seasoned therapist, and trainer. This is an on-demand, self-paced online training covering the essentials of DBT.
Can you learn DBT and have fun at the same time? Absolutely! All our videos are easy to follow and fun to watch.
Course length: 5.25 hours
Learn the “how-to” of DBT by watching an expert clinician address real-world problems with clients.
Have you ever felt that learning the theory is not enough to implement DBT in your practice?
“DBT Secrets No More: Animated Role Plays” will teach you to apply DBT principles in one of the most effective ways: by showing a master therapist actually conduct DBT.
Course length: 3.5 hours
Through the case of Lisa, diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, you’ll learn about DBT principles, candidate identification, addressing suicidality, and the DBT assumptions. Dr. Vaughn shares details of practical therapeutic skills and tools such as diary cards, behavioral chain analysis, phone coaching, and opposite action, to support your clients in developing lives worth living.
Case length: 1.25 hour
Trauma-Focused DBT
1 course and 1 clinical case
Dr. Kirby Reutter guides you on implementing trauma-focused dialectical behavior therapy (TF-DBT) for PTSD and trauma-related conditions.
You will have access to multiple mock sessions in which you can observe Dr Reutter applying DBT skills to treat trauma.
Course length: 9.25 hours
Dr. Kirby Reutter presents the case of Maria, a 19-year-old woman from Nicaragua with a chronic history of trauma. He shares his case conceptualization and interventions from the trauma-focused dialectical behavioral therapy (TF-DBT) perspective.
Case length: 1.25 hour
DBT for Psychiatric Conditions
1 course, 3 clinical cases
This course will broaden your DBT tools to treat clients with different clinical issues, such as bipolar disorder, eating disorders, psychosis, trauma, substance abuse, and chronic pain.
Listen to a DBT expert interviewing other experts. You’ll hear experienced clinicians discussing how they apply DBT to treat various clinical issues.
Course length: 8 hours
Laura Petracek, Ph.D., explores diagnostic, clinical, and treatment formulations for approaching substance abuse through DBT.
The case covers the four DBT modules and skills – including mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness – to equip psychotherapists with practical tools for addressing addiction effectively.
Case length: 1 hour
Dr. John Wagner navigates the diagnostic formulation with Sofia, a 35-year-old female who recently immigrated to Canada.
You’ll discover essential skills, including a review of the DBT targeting hierarchy, conducting chain analysis and solution analysis to understand the roots of suicidal behaviors, and using the DBT diary card for meticulous monitoring of emotional experiences and urges.
Case length: 1 hour.
Dennis Hannon, Psy.D., presents the case of Jackie, a 20-year-old female patient seeking therapy to treat her depressive symptoms.
Dr. Hannon uses the 4 modules of DBT skills: Mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, each with its own subskills.
Case length: 1.5 hour
Get started right away and earn 1 CE credit
The Trauma Pack has a value of $1397. Promotional value $375
Your DBT Toolbox: A Worksheets and Handouts Library
Gain access to a diverse collection of handouts and worksheets.
Client Resources:
Exercises, metaphors, and activities to assign as therapeutic homework, reinforcing learning between sessions.
Clinician’s Toolkit:
Guides, checklists, and planners to streamline your preparation and deliver impactful DBT interventions with confidence.
Sample Video: DBT Distress Tolerance Skills: Tip Skill, Stop Skill, and More
From our course, DBT In Practice: Mastering the Essentials.
All our sections are concise and clinically relevant; none of them lasts more than 12 minutes. That's our rule.
Meet Your Instructors
Stephanie Vaughn, Psy.D., Clinical Psychologist-HSP, is the owner of Psychē, PLLC, a boutique outpatient therapy practice located in the Gulch area of Nashville, specializing in treating adults and adolescents utilizing cognitive-behavioral and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). She is an associate faculty member at Vanderbilt University for both the Psychology and Psychiatry Departments and is active in the teaching and supervision of Psychology students, counseling students, and psychiatry residents.
She founded and currently leads Vanderbilt’s DBT Peer Consultation Group and has served as a trainer and consultant for a variety of institutions, including the Department of Defense, Kennedy Krieger Hospital in Baltimore, Jacksonville Naval Hospital, Kentucky State Hospital, and Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base.
Dr. Vaughn is 1 of only 2 DBT-Linehan board-certified clinicians in Tennessee and is considered to be an expert within the field of DBT in treating therapy-interfering behaviors and managing high-risk and oppositional adolescent behavior. In addition to private practice, she has served as the interim Director of a women’s residential treatment center for substance use disorders. She worked for 2 years in the intensive PTSD program at the Nashville Department of Veteran Affairs with soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq and female soldiers who experienced military sexual trauma. She is a national speaker and educator on DBT and prolonged exposure for PTSD.
Kirby Reutter, Ph.D., DBTC, LMHC, MAC, is a bilingual clinical psychologist who contracts with the United States Department of Homeland Security to provide treatment services for asylum seekers.
Dr. Reutter is a TED speaker and the author of The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for PTSD: Practical Exercises for Overcoming Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Laura Petracek, Ph.D., LCSW, is a certified dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) practitioner who, as a recovering addict herself, uses her own experience with recovery and treatment to help others.
Dr. Petracek is author of The DBT Workbook for Alcohol and Drug Addiction and The Anger Workbook for Women.
She received her Master of Social Work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Dr. Petracek has worked in the field of psychotherapy for more than 30 years. She is an LGBTQ+ member and ally. As a psychologist and author, she is committed to providing the highest quality psychotherapy services that honor where individuals are on their personal growth journeys.
Dennis Hannon , Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist practicing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the Chief Executive Officer and Owner of the Center for Psychological Growth and Resilience, a clinic providing evidenced-based, culturally informed therapy services rooted in the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and other mindfulness-based strategies.
Dr. Hannon completed his postdoctoral fellowship and predoctoral internship at Mental Health Systems and received his doctorate in clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Dennis has extensive experience working with adults and adolescents living with severe and complex mental and physical illnesses across various levels of care, spanning from inpatient care units to outpatient individual therapy.
Accreditation Information
Some professional boards, including those for Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Addictions Professionals, may accept APA CE credits.
Please contact your professional licensing board for further information. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
Psychotherapy Academy, #1851, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 4/7/2024 – 4/7/2027. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
Please contact your professional licensing board for further information. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
States and provinces that accept ACE4
Physicians (ACCME) Credit Designation: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of Medical Academy, LLC, and the Psychotherapy Academy. Medical Academy, LLC, is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are accepted by the boards responsible for regulating Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants.
Please contact your professional licensing board for further information. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.
Download All Materials in 3 Different Formats for Offline Use
Audio Course
Learn practical tips while doing other things, like commuting, doing chores, or running errands. All sections are available as an audio course.
Video downloads
You can download all course videos for offline access. You don't have to rely on having a stable internet connection.
PDF transcripts
This course offers transcripts and audio files of all modules. These PDF transcripts allow you to absorb course materials more quickly.
Course Interaction & System Requirements
This based online course is self-paced/noninteractive. Course questions can be directed to Psychotherapy Academy by email: [email protected]
System Requirements
• Operating Systems: Windows XP or higher, MacOS 10.11 or higher, Android 4.0 or higher
• Internet browser: Google Chrome 49.0 or higher, Firefox 40.0 or higher, Safari 10.1 or higher, Edge 14.0 or higher
• Broadband internet connection: Any medium that is internet accessible
• Media viewing requirements: None
30-Days, Money-Back Guarantee
We are so sure you’ll be happy with your purchase that we offer a 30-day, money-back guarantee to ensure your satisfaction.
If, for any reason, you are not fully satisfied with the course, send us an email at [email protected].
For questions, concerns, or to request special accommodations, please contact us at [email protected].
Practical Info
By enrolling, you gain access to a comprehensive range of features:
- Instant and lifelong access to all materials.
- Download videos to watch offline at your convenience.
- Audio access for flexible learning opportunities.
- Access PDF transcripts for effective referencing and review.
- Enjoy the convenience of downloading all formats for offline accessibility.
