Level 4 — Advanced DBT Training and Adaptations

Level 4 trainings allow experienced DBT therapists — those who have completed Level 3 training and provide DBT in their clinical work — to advance and sustain their DBT knowledge. Learn how to adapt DBT for specific client populations or choose an advanced training designed to address the needs of seasoned DBT clinicians. Advanced trainings are led by world-renowned DBT experts who have pioneered clinical adaptations and research in highly requested, specialized content.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Treating the Eating Disordered Client with Multiple Problems

Eating disorders affect more than 5 million Americans each year: 3.5-5% of adolescent and adult women and 1% of men have anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder (i.e., compulsive overeating). Fifteen percent of young women have substantially disordered eating attitudes and behaviors; as many as 1 in 10 college women suffer from a clinical or nearly clinical eating disorder, including 4.2% who suffer from bulimia nervosa. Eating disorders frequently co-occur with other psychiatric disorders such as depression, substance use, anxiety disorders and personality disorders. Cognitive-behavioral strategies markedly reduce the frequency of binge eating and purging, decrease dietary restraint and decrease the intensity of concerns about shape and weight. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive-behavioral treatment that has been modified for clients with primary EDs who have failed at other efficacious treatments. In this training, you will learn the DBT strategies for treating clients who have multiple problems, including eating disordered behaviors.

This practical two-day training is designed for mental health professionals of all disciplines who treat eating disorders, especially those clients with multiple, severe problems. Using lecture, case examples, role-playing and small group exercises, the instructor will teach strategies and procedures to treat anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder in the context of multiple problems.

Intensive Training in the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Prolonged Exposure Protocol for PTSD

This 4-day workshop is designed to provide intensive training in how to integrate PTSD treatment into standard DBT. Participants will learn the DBT Prolonged Exposure (DBT PE) protocol for treating PTSD, one of the newest developments in DBT research and practice. This protocol can be added to standard DBT to allow for integrated treatment of PTSD, suicidal and self-injurious behavior, and other co-occurring problems. Participants will learn how to use DBT strategies to prepare high-risk and multi-problem clients for the DBT PE protocol as well as how to determine when clients are ready to begin formal PTSD treatment. The structure and procedures of the DBT PE protocol will be taught in a session-by-session format with extensive opportunities to watch video examples and practice delivering each of the primary treatment components. Particular attention will be paid to discussing strategies for overcoming common problems that arise during PTSD treatment with high-risk and multi-problem clients as well as how to tailor the treatment to address the complex characteristics of this client population.

This workshop is intended for mental health professionals who:

  • Have attended a DBT Intensive or Foundational training (or equivalent)
  • Are active members of DBT consultation teams
  • Currently provide DBT individual therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills with Multi-Problem Adolescents: Skills Updates, Teaching Strategies, and Engaging Teens and Caregivers

One of the most important developments in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) over the past decade is the adaptation of DBT for adolescents with multiple problems who are at high risk for suicidal and self-injurious behavior. DBT for adolescents was developed by Drs. Alec Miller, Jill Rathus, and Marsha Linehan to address the complex and unique challenges that arise during treatment with these adolescents and their families. In this training you will learn about DBT skills training with teens and their families. The trainers will provide an overview of the adaptations made to standard DBT to address the needs of adolescents and their families, including a particular focus on multi-family skills training classes and the latest DBT skills for adolescents and their caregivers. Strategies for bringing DBT principles to skills training, engaging teens and caregivers, and group management will be provided. Ample demonstrations, experiential exercises, and role plays will help illustrate workshop content.