Applying Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Counseling

Catalog description

This course is designed to teach students the theoretical framework and core strategies of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT is an evidence-based multi-modal cognitive-behavioral treatment that Dr. Marsha Linehan developed in the late 1980s for individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and high-risk behaviors (e.g., self-harm, substance use, suicidal ideation, and restricting or bingeing). In the early 2000s, DBT began to be more widely adapted for treating emotion dysregulation in a wide range of client populations and settings. In this course, students will learn to conceptualize client cases within a DBT framework and practice teaching DBT skills. Students will also engage in personal practice of DBT skills selected from the four DBT modules: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.