To learn more about the types of training and consultation that BTECH offers, visit our Training Catalog here.

Interested in a training that is sold out? Please join our Waiting List so we can contact you as we schedule future events.

Loading Events

« All Events

  • This event has passed.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Intensive Training™ (SOLD OUT)

This training is sold out. Please contact us at (206) 675-8588 to be placed on the wait list.

Level 3

New York, NY — co-hosted by Columbia University School of Social Work
Part 1: August 21-25, 2017
Part 2: January 8-12, 2018
Trainers: Randy Wolbert, LMSW, CAADC, CCS, and Gwen Abney-Cunningham, LMSW

Training Description

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Intensive Training™ is a ten-day course designed for those who have begun learning DBT® methods from self-guided study of the treatment manuals and introductory workshops. This training is intended for teams that are invested in learning DBT to a high standard in order to better implement the treatment in their settings.

As DBT is a treatment that requires an ongoing consultation team, the Intensive Training is designed for treatment teams, not individual practitioners intending to practice alone.

A DBT team (minimum of 3*, maximum of 8) is a group of mental health professionals who meets at least weekly to assist each other in applying DBT in their practice setting. With the intent to provide the highest quality training experience, it is our goal to have a maximum of eight teams for each Dialectical Behavior Therapy Intensive Training™. Teams should discuss and clarify their level of commitment prior to completing their application as course enrollment is limited, and there is a competitive demand for Intensive Training.

Training is conducted in two five-day sessions of instruction divided by six to nine months of home study. In Part 1, lectures, videotapes, and small group exercises are used to teach DBT theory and strategies in-depth. Between the first and second sessions, participants consolidate and apply what they have learned with the help of practice assignments. Between sessions, teams design and begin to implement their own DBT programs or to integrate DBT into an ongoing treatment setting. In Part 2, each team presents their work and receives expert consultation on specific cases and on their program, including protocols for specific treatment problems and adaptations of DBT.

The DBT Intensive Training involves rigorous preparation, training, and homework. Part 1 and Part 2 are both five full days of training. The course is designed to model basic elements of the treatment in an experiential way and to foster team development. Just as DBT requires clients to make a full commitment to treatment and to attend all sessions, DBT training requires Intensive participants to attend the entire training, do their best to learn the material, and participate in a willing, committed manner.

Training Objectives

Part 1:

  • Participate in a DBT Consultation Team.
  • Demonstrate Consultation Team strategies used in DBT.
  • List the modes, the functions, and the typical treatment agreements made in DBT.
  • Implement the structure, goals, and stages of DBT.
  • Teach the four DBT® skills modules (Core Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance).
  • Explain the diagnosis of Biosocial Model of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and other severe disorders in all required treatment contexts.
  • Create DBT treatment plans for clients using targeting procedures.
  • Explain the dialectical nature of DBT.
  • Demonstrate how dialectics are used in DBT.
  • Conduct Cue Exposure and Response Prevention.
  • List the steps in Problem-Solving.
  • Conduct complete Behavioral Chain Analyses and solution analyses.
  • Implement the Cognitive-Behavioral strategies in DBT.
  • Identify the levels of validation and the contexts in which they apply.
  • Demonstrate the use of validation to balance the change strategies in treatment.
  • Demonstrate the different communication strategies of DBT.
  • Implement the DBT case management strategies.
  • Implement telephone coaching and other generalization strategies of DBT.
  • Apply suicide crisis protocols of DBT.
  • Discuss the DBT research for different populations.

Part 2:

  • Demonstrate comprehension of important concepts in DBT.
  • Demonstrate the ability to apply important concepts in DBT.
  • Demonstrate the ability to appropriately apply DBT strategies in my own cases and appropriately evaluate the use of DBT strategies in others’ cases.
  • Demonstrate use of DBT commitment strategies.
  • Identify in-session dysfunctional behaviors and use DBT strategies to treat them.
  • Use DBT strategies to better manage skills training problems.
  • Identify team problems and use DBT strategies to resolve them.
  • Design DBT service programs, appropriately implementing and modifying DBT protocols for my particular setting and patient population.
  • Formulate plans to evaluate my program/services.
  • Discuss the take-home exam assigned in Part 1 and consequently better understand important concepts in DBT.
  • Discuss homework assignments involving the application of the treatment and consequently better understand how to apply the treatment.
  • Understand and apply the treatment after my team’s program presentation.
  • Use techniques for strengthening and using the DBT consultation team.
  • Practice the techniques of DBT by role-playing, as coached by the instructors and be better able to describe and apply treatment strategies.
  • Teach mindfulness skills, interpersonal skills, and emotion regulation skills as detailed in the DBT skills training manual.
  • View and discuss videotaped segments of DBT as modeled by expert therapists and be better able to describe and apply treatment strategies.
  • Understand and apply the treatment after my team’s case presentation.

Schedule

General Schedule
8:30 9:00 Registration and Sign-in
9:00 12:30 Morning Session
12:30 1:30 Lunch
1:30 5:15 Afternoon Session
5:15 5:30 Evaluations and Sign-out

Day 5 ends at 4:30pm.

CE NOTE: Behavioral Tech calculates the continuing education credits for this training by the start time and end time. 100 percent attendance is required, as is signing IN and OUT each morning and afternoon, to receive CE credits. Partial credits cannot be issued.

Trainers

Randy Wolbert, LMSW, Zen Rōshi

Randy Wolbert LMSW, Zen Rōshi   is a DBT trainer with Behavioral Tech.  Randy trains and consults widely throughout the World, directing several large-scale system implementations. Prior to joining Behavioral Tech full-time, Randy served as Clinical Director of InterAct of Michigan, responsible for the programs of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), DBT, Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment and outpatient substance abuse. Randy is a long time Zen student of Marsha Linehan Randy was recognized by Willigis Jaeger as a Zen teacher in 2016 and was confirmed as a Zen teacher in 2018 by Marsha Linehan.  In 2021 he received transmission as a dharma heir of Zen Master (Rōshi) Greg Mayers.  He has lead mindfulness workshops and Zen mindfulness retreats in the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Germany. Recently, he authored the chapter, “Modifying behavior therapy to meet the challenge of treating BPD: Incorporating Zen and Mindfulness.” In M. A. Swales (Ed). Oxford Handbook of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gwen Abney-Cunningham, LMSW

Kalamazoo, MI (United States) Gwen Abney-Cunningham, LMSW, is currently a fulltime Behavioral Tech consultant and trainer. Prior to coming to Behavioral Tech full time, she was employed at a community mental health agency for 32 years, in many roles, including; DBT Services Supervisor, Outpatient Services Director, and most recently as Evidenced Based Treatment Director. Gwen received her bachelor’s degree from Hope College and her MSW from Grand Valley State University. She has 30 plus years of professional experience and is a member of one of the first teams in the U.S. to apply DBT within an ACT program.  Gwen is intensively trained in DBT and an experienced workshop leader at state, national, and international conferences. Gwen continues to work as a DBT therapist because it is effective and the hope it brings to clients and their families. As a BTECH Trainer and consultant, she is also able to assist many mental health providers in learning the treatment to assist in helping many individuals. Gwen’s experience in DBT includes individual and skills training for adults, adolescents and families and providing DBT supervision to clinicians. In addition, she has assisted in the development and implementation of DBT on ACT teams and in outpatient settings. Gwen has been involved with the large-scale implementations of DBT in Michigan for Community Mental Health settings. She has been a Behavioral Tech trainer for 20 plus years. Gwen has also served on the Behavioral Tech Trainer Advisory Committee and the Behavioral Tech Implementation Science Workgroup.

Prerequisites

All team members must read the following prior to Part:

  • Linehan, M.M. (2015). DBT® Skills Training Manual: Second Edition. New York: Guilford Press.
  • Linehan, M.M. (2015). DBT® Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets: Second Edition. New York: Guilford Press.
  • Linehan, M.M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

The DBT Intensive Training is designed to help attendees build an effective treatment program. DBT is a treatment that requires an ongoing consultation team. Therefore, the training is only open to teams consisting of three to eight people. Individuals and teams of less than three will not be accepted. Each team member is expected to attend the entire ten days of training.

Attend

Tickets

The numbers below include tickets for this event already in your cart. Clicking "Get Tickets" will allow you to edit any existing attendee information as well as change ticket quantities.
Tickets are no longer available

Tuition

3 team members $10,000 per team
4 team members $10,000 per team
5 team members $12,500 per team
6 team members $15,000 per team
7 team members $17,500 per team
8 team members $20,000 per team

Tuition is based on the number of team members. To accommodate smaller teams and maintain fidelity to core training principles, a $10,000 team minimum tuition is required for smaller teams.

Submit Your Application by July 3, 2017
This training is sold out. Please contact us at (206) 675-8588 to be placed on the wait list.

Acceptance Notification

Applicants will be notified of acceptance by July 7, 2017.

Tuition Payment Terms
Your tuition payment is due upon receipt of the invoice; if payment is not received, we may release your space to another applicant. Please contact us at 206.675.8588 to discuss any extenuating circumstances affecting your prompt payment. Application fees and tuition are non-refundable.

Prices are quoted in U.S. dollars. We accept credit cards (Discover, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express), U.S. checks, and bank transfers. All payments must be in U.S. funds; we are unable to accept foreign checks. Please contact Customer Service at 206.675.8588 or at info@behavioraltech.org for more information about ACH or wire transfer payment options.

Due to the comprehensive nature of this training, there are no cancellations or substitutions available. If extenuating circumstances arise that prevent full attendance, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss your situation. We will do our best to provide alternative options for completing training curriculum.

For a complete list of Behavioral Tech policies and limits of liability, see policies.

Seat Availability for Onsite Events
The number of seats for our open-enrollment workshops and our application-based trainings is limited by the physical training space that is reserved for the event. Please complete your registration or submit your application at your earliest convenience, as we will not guarantee a seat for you until we have received your registration or tuition payment.

Special Accommodations
If you require special accommodations due to a disability, please contact Behavioral Tech at 206.675.8588 four weeks prior to the training so that we may provide you with appropriate service.

Technical Requirements

Co-hosted By: Columbia University School of Social Work

Columbia University School of Social Work
1255 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10027

Directions by Google Map

Continuing Education

This offering meets the requirements for the following hours by discipline. Licensing and continuing education requirements vary by state. Please contact your state’s regulatory authority to verify if this course meets your licensing or continuing education requirements. Inquiries regarding CE for other disciplines not listed may be directed to Behavioral Tech at 206.675.8589 or via email to CE@behavioraltech.org.

CE NOTE: Behavioral Tech calculates the continuing education credits for this training by the start time and end time. 100 percent attendance is required, as is signing IN and OUT each morning and afternoon, to receive CE credits. Partial credits cannot be issued.

Approval Statements

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors: Behavioral Tech, LLC is approved by the NAADAC – the Association for Addiction Professionals, Provider #77431. This activity is approved for 65 contact hours. Behavioral Tech will email you a letter documenting your attendance upon successful completion of the activity.

Mental Health Counselors: Behavioral Tech has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5885. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Behavioral Tech is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Behavioral Tech has allocated 65 clock hours for this activity.

Nurses: Behavioral Tech, LLC is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Behavioral Tech designates this educational activity for a maximum of 65 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Continuing Medical Education is accepted by the ANCC for nursing certification renewal. At the end of the training, each Nurse must complete and sign the provided form to record the number of credits claimed. Keep one copy & return the other copy to Behavioral Tech.

Psychiatrists: Behavioral Tech, LLC is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Behavioral Tech designates this educational activity for a maximum of 65 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. At the end of the training, each Physician must complete and sign the provided form to record the number of credits claimed. Keep one copy & return the other copy to Behavioral Tech.

Psychologists: Behavioral Tech, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Behavioral Tech maintains responsibility for the program and its content. Behavioral Tech has allocated 65 hours of CE within APA guidelines. Behavioral Tech will email you a letter documenting your attendance after successful completion of the program.

Social Workers: Behavioral Tech SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers, #0040. Behavioral Tech has allocated 65 live contact hours for this activity. Behavioral Tech will email a letter documenting attendance to participants with 100% completion of the program and homework.

Not finding the training you’re looking for? Check out our services for agencies and systems to learn if we can bring a training to you!