Level 2 — Therapy Essentials

Level 2 options address the essentials of behavior therapy, DBT, and other treatments. These courses are appropriate for clinicians and providers at every stage of professional development. Choose from flexible formats that include in-person training, online courses, and on-demand videos.

Skills Training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy: The Essentials

This two-day workshop covers the fundamentals of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills: Core Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. Participants learn how to plan, structure, and conduct DBT skills classes. This workshop also addresses the targets for skills training, as well as how to apply fundamental DBT strategies in skills training. Extensive teaching and use of clinical examples are used to illustrate specific skills training procedures, assignment and review of homework with clients, and troubleshooting common skills training obstacles. This course is designed for all mental health professionals who want to learn to teach DBT skills or to improve their teaching with clients. This training will include the original DBT skills as developed by Dr. Linehan, and will incorporate material from her recently published DBT® Skills Training Manual, Second Edition. Learn more about Skills trainings here.

Mindfulness & Reality Acceptance for Personal & Professional Practice

Mindfulness has emerged as an important focus of several empirically supported treatments. The roots of mindfulness stem from the contemplative practices common to both Eastern and Western spiritual disciplines and the emerging scientific knowledge about the benefits of “allowing” experiences rather than suppressing or avoiding them. Both Eastern and Western psychologies, as well as spiritual practices, are converging on these same insights. This training will be both didactic and experiential, consisting of practice and discussion of various mindfulness exercises and practices (both in and outside of the workshop).

The mindfulness skills taught in this workshop come from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an empirically supported treatment for individuals with difficulties regulating emotions and impulsive behavior. Participants learn mindfulness skills to use in their own practice and with clients, as well as strategies for integrating these skills into clinical practice.

The workshop is intended for people interested in developing a personal mindfulness practice or the use of mindfulness in psychotherapy, regardless of their specific approach to treatment. It is not aimed specifically at DBT® or CBT therapists.

Suicide Risk Assessment (3 hours)

With suicide among the top ten causes of death nationwide, the ability to effectively assess suicide risk is a critical skill for those in the health care professions. This 3-hour workshop is intended to help health care professionals learn best practices for suicide risk assessment. Participants will become familiar with chronic and acute risk factors for suicide, protective factors for suicide, and how to formulate an overall level of suicide risk based on these factors. In addition, participants will learn when to screen for suicide risk, how to talk with individuals who may be suicidal to assess risk, and how to document the suicide risk assessment process. Finally, participants will learn how to make appropriate referrals for persons at risk for suicide.

This workshop meets the Washington State Department of Health’s 2017 requirements for suicide prevention training for professionals.

Suicide Risk Assessment and Management (6 hours)

With suicide among the top ten causes of death nationwide, the ability to effectively assess and manage suicide risk is a critical skill for those in the health care professions. This 6-hour workshop is intended to help health care professionals learn best practices for suicide risk assessment and management. Participants will become familiar with chronic and acute risk factors for suicide, protective factors for suicide, and how to formulate an overall level of suicide risk based on these factors. In addition, participants will learn when to screen for suicide risk and how to talk with individuals who may be suicidal to assess and manage risk. Participants will be taught suicide risk management strategies used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993), an evidence-based treatment for suicidal behaviors. These will include general guidelines for risk management and a specific protocol for intervening in a suicide crisis situation. Finally, participants will learn how to use the Linehan Risk Assessment and Management Protocol (LRAMP) as a means of documenting the suicide risk assessment and management process.

This workshop meets the Washington State Department of Health’s 2017 requirements for suicide prevention training for professionals.

DBT Addiction Skills (video series)

Learn DBT skills that have been used in the treatment of individuals with a variety of addictions. These five short videos feature Dr. Marsha Linehan teaching each of the DBT Addiction skills, including:

  • Dialectical abstinence
  • Clear mind
  • Community reinforcement
  • Burning bridges and building new ones
  • Alternate rebellion and adaptive denial

These videos are appropriate for anyone seeking to learn or teach these skills. You can purchase the DBT Addictions Skills videos through Behavioral Tech’s On-Demand Vimeo Channel.

Behavior Therapy Lessons with Dr. Marsha Linehan (video series)

It is essential to have a solid applied understanding of the Behavior Therapy paradigm before venturing into the room with a client to do CBT, DBT, or many other evidence-based treatments. Learn from Dr. Marsha Linehan as she introduces you to behavior therapy.

Behavioral Tech is a Linehan Institute training company and we offer in-person and online training for mental health professionals who wish to learn Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Purchase Behavior Therapy Lessons with Dr. Marsha Linehan through Behavioral Tech’s On-Demand Vimeo Channel.