Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) that uses mindfulness-based techniques to help people manage difficult emotions.

It was originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder and is now used for a range of problems including suicidal behaviour, self-harm, eating disorders, substance use and depression. DBT helps individuals deliver skills in emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness and distress tolerance so they can replace dysfunctional behaviour with healthier alternatives.

This course will teach you the fundamentals of what Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is and how to use it. It is aimed at psychotherapists and mental health professionals but will explain all DBT concepts from core principles so is suitable for anyone looking to learn DBT for the first time. We will cover the theory, practice and techniques of DBT including:

• What DBT is and the underlying theoretical model

• Why CBT is ineffective for some individuals and how DBT solves this

• The four components of DBT: individual psychotherapy, skills training, telephone coaching and consultation teams

• Exercises and worksheets for the four areas of skills training: core mindfulness skills, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance

• Delivering DBT step-by-step

The course includes video lectures, downloads, quizzes, practical exercises and a comprehensive course handbook. You will gain hands-on experience trying DBT exercises that you can use in your personal life as well as with clients.

Things to be aware of:

• Prior experience in cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness and counselling skills is helpful but not required

• DBT is typically delivered in team environments but I will discuss how to adapt it for individual practitioners

• Due to the nature of the material, we will briefly touch on suicide, self-harm and abuse

Join now to begin learning dialectical behaviour therapy.