John E. Lothes – Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Certificate Course: Intensive Training

John E. Lothes – Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Certificate Course: Intensive Training

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an empirically validated approach for working with mental health, chemical dependency, and complex co-morbidity. Designed to empower clients to establish mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, DBT assists clinicians in treating clients with emotional problems, suicidal, self-harm, and self-sabotaging urges and behaviors, and challenging interpersonal styles.

Watch this certificate course recording and receive a detailed understanding and foundation of the skills of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as applied to clients with mental health and chemical dependency issues. Going beyond symptom management, these skills are designed to improve functioning to build satisfying lives.

This course explores DBT’s theoretical basis, specific DBT interventions, and how to teach skills in individual and group settings. Familiarity with these skills and techniques along with experiential exercises will enhance your clinical skills and professional development.

Guided by the latest research and policy in evidence-based practices, this course teaches the clinical process and content of DBT from theory to practice. Going beyond prescriptive applications, this course shows you how to use essentials such as validation, dialectical strategies, communication styles, and the best ways of changing behaviors in order to effectively balance acceptance and change with your clients.

Complete with education on user-friendly diary cards and chain analysis protocols, you will leave this conference with increased DBT competency as well as many new tools including client worksheets to bring to your clinical practice.

John Lothes, M.A., LPA, LCAS-A, is not affiliated or associated with Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, ABPP, or her organizations.

1. Explain the underlying theory of Dialectics and Dialectic Behavior Therapy. .
2. Integrate DBT skills for individual and group therapy treatment into practice.
3. Teach DBT skills in the areas of Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotional Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness to clients.
4. Utilize specific DBT skills for the treatment of a range of mental health symptoms, chemical dependency and complex co-morbidities.
5. Describe DBT tools and resources used to effectively change behavior.
6. Articulate a variety of strategies for teaching DBT skills to clients.
7. Demonstrate the use of crisis survival strategies to enhance distress tolerance
8. Discriminate the DBT model from cognitive-behavioral, client-centered, and other treatment modalities.
9. Practice a multi-layered approach to validation of clients’ thoughts and feelings.
10. Apply DBT diary cards and chain (change) analysis techniques to address specific clinical issues in practice.
11. Summarize how to effectively operate consultative groups and treatment teams
12. Assess and manage self-injurious and suicidal behaviors with clear protocols and safety plans.
13. Discuss the limitations and risks of DBT and areas of ongoing or future research regarding DBT effectiveness.

History & Philosophy of DBT

• Dialectics explained
• Core philosophies in practice
• Skills training techniques
• Limitations of the research and potential risks

Mindfulness Skills

• Grounded in the present while being connected to past & future
• Using core skills to achieve “Wise Mind”
• Learn classic and innovative mindfulness skills
• Mindfulness exercises

Distress Tolerance Skills

• Building frustration tolerance
• Utilizing crisis survival strategies and plans
• Learn classic and innovative
• Distress Tolerance skills
• Distress Tolerance exercises

Emotional Regulation Skills

• Understanding emotions and reducing vulnerability
• Incorporating self-care, opposite action and building positive experience
• Learn classic and innovative emotional regulation skills
• Emotional regulation exercises

Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills

• Balance in relationships
• Objective, relationship and self-respect effectiveness
• Learn classic and innovative interpersonal effectiveness skills
• Interpersonal effectiveness exercises

DBT in Practice

• Understanding how therapy works: The Contextual Model
• Evidence-based practice
• Maximizing therapeutic factors, DBT-style
• Essential elements and functions of DBT revisited

Structure Therapy

• Structure as a therapeutic factor
• Structuring the therapy environment
• Identifying treatment targets: suicidality, self-injurious behavior (SIB), therapy-interfering behavior (TIB), and other targets

Validation

• Levels of validation
• Validation as an informal exposure technique

Best Methods of Changing Behaviors

• Self-monitoring with the diary card
• Behavioral contingencies
• DBT-style cognitive interventions
• Behavior Chain (Change) Analysis

Communication Styles: Reciprocal and Irreverent Consultation Group

• Increase your motivation
• Develop effective responses
• Qualities of effective treatment teams

Next Steps: Develop Your Proficiency in DBT