DBT Foundational

You will begin by learning the fundamentals of the DBT approach, including the structure of the treatment, the unique assumptions that DBT clinicians hold, and the wide variety of diagnoses it is effective in treating. You'll also be taking a deep dive into how DBT views and conceptualises client issues, via the Bio-Social Model.

In this section of the training you will be introduced to the DBT approach to case conceptualization, and develop an understanding of how multiple complex client issues are approached simultaneously. You’ll also be introduced to the Consultation Team mode of treatment, and learn about the supportive role it plays for DBT clinicians.

This week you will explore how to structure DBT treatment, and the approach to getting started with new patients. The pre-treatment phase is also covered in depth, including orienting patients to DBT, collaboratively setting life-worth-living goals, and building their commitment to remain in treatment. 

In Week 4 you are introduced to all of the individual therapy techniques, approaches and interventions that are unique to DBT. This includes learning to balance acceptance & change strategies in session, the stylistic communication strategies that DBT therapists utilise, and how to manage complex cases by engaging environmental supports.

This week you will learn how to overcome the many therapy interfering behaviors that are a common barrier to effectively working with severely emotionally dysregulated patients. You’ll also be introduced to the DBT mode of Phone Coaching this week, including practical strategies of how to overcome harmful client behaviors both inside and outside of the therapy room.

This week you’ll learn the assessment strategy at the heart of DBT: Chain Analysis. You’ll learn to identify and map problem behaviors onto a detailed chain, and also how to generate effective interventions and approaches to overcoming these behaviors through Solution Analysis.

Following on from Solution Analysis, you will explore three of the core families of intervention in DBT known as the “Change Strategies”. These include approaches to managing both internal and external contingencies, powerful interventions for cognitive restructuring, and how to utilise strategies for exposure to strong emotional experiences.

This week you will cover the Acceptance, Mindfulness & Validation aspects of DBT that are so vital to the dialectical approach of the overall treatment. These form a powerful series of interventions and approaches for clinicians to engage and motivate even their most challenging patients.

You will take a deep dive into dialectical principles and strategies that underlie the entire DBT approach this week, including an in-depth examination of how to overcome the challenging “secondary targets” that so commonly derail treatment. The course will then bring everything you have learned so far together, and show how the myriad strategies and approaches can be woven into a flexible and powerful treatment.

In this week of the course you will learn the unique ways that DBT clinicians intervene with patients suffering from severe suicidal and self-harming behaviors. You’ll also discover strategies for managing these life-threatening behaviors, and moving your patients towards their life worth living.

In this penultimate week, you will discover the DBT protocols for dealing with suicidal crises when they arise. You will also learn how to work with patients that meet criteria for PTSD, and the most effective ways to approach Stage 1 of treatment with these traumatised individuals.

In the final week of the course you will be given a detailed overview of the mode of DBT Skills Group. This will include teaching you how to setup, format and run a skills group, the four Skills Modules at the heart of DBT, and how this mode of treatment integrates into the wider DBT approach.