Workshops

Introduction to Dialectical Behavior Therapy:
Foundational Philosophy and Clinical Fundamentals

This workshop provides an experiential understanding of the foundational philosophy and fundamental clinical strategies of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Workshop attendees will learn the modes of comprehensive DBT, underlying assumptions and dialectical philosophy, models for understanding the development of Borderline Personality Disorder and pervasive emotional dysregulation, applications of DBT skills modules, and a host of others DBT strategies that seek to balance acceptance of the client’s reality with movement to changing the client’s life toward more stable, fulfilling, and integrated experience.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

1. Identify the 5 modes of comprehensive DBT and their functions.

2. Understand the theoretical assumptions and dialectical philosophy as they apply to clients, therapists, and the treatment modality.

3. Understand multiple models for understanding the development of Borderline Personality Disorder and pervasive dysregulation.

4. Describe the goals of the DBT skills modules (i.e., mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance) and identify at least five skills to begin applying immediately with clients.

5. Learn and practice various fundamental dialectical strategies and other acceptance/change strategies, including validation, irreverence, diary cards, and chain analysis.

6. Identify important considerations for trauma-informed and liberation-focused applications.