Abbreviated DBT Skills Training

Upcoming Dates:

• Upcoming dates for Fall to be posted in July 2025. Please check back then or email info@dbthouse.com to inquire about being on our waitlist

DBT HOUSE’s 11 week (23-hour) program covers the basic DBT skills of Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance and Interpersonal Effectiveness outlined in the DBT Skills Handouts and Worksheets: Second Edition by Marsha M. Linehan.

In this group, participants will learn skills to assist with labelling and managing emotions; tolerating distress and accepting reality; increasing mindful awareness; and communicating needs to others.

All DBT Group Sessions are 120 minutes in length and conducted virtually. This course involves experiential learning; be prepared to learn DBT by doing DBT!

Course Curriculum

Mindfulness

• Week 1: Goals of Mindfulness, Wise Mind, What & How Skills
  

Distress Tolerance

• Week 1: Goals of Distress Tolerance, STOP, TIP

• Week 2: Distract, Self Soothe, Improve the Moment

• Week 3: Radical Acceptance and Turning the Mind

• Week 4: Willingness, Half Smile and Willing Hands

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Emotion Regulation

• Week 1: Goals of Emotion Regulation, Understanding and Labelling Emotions, Myths about Emotions, A Model for Describing Emotions

• Week 2: Check the Facts, Opposite Action, and Problem Solving

• Week 3: Accumulating Positives in the Short Term and Long Term

• Week 4: Build Mastery, Cope Ahead, Reducing Vulnerabilities to Emotion Mind (PLEASE)

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Interpersonal Effectiveness

• Week 1: Factors that get in the way of being interpersonally effective, Clarifying Goals in Interpersonal Situations, Skills for Getting Our Needs Met (DEAR MAN)

• Week 2: Skills for Maintaining your Relationship in Interpersonal Situations (GIVE), Skills for Maintaining Self Respect in Interpersonal Situations (FAST)

Your curriculum also includes a 1-hr educational recording that provides a detailed overview and introduction to Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. It is recommended that this video is viewed prior to the start of the training. Participants are required to attest to watching this recording in order to receive a certificate of attendance. The video will cover the following information:

• DBT Overview: Structure, History, Research, Biosocial Theory

• Intro to Skills Training: Goals and Guidelines of DBT, Options for Solving Any Problem, DBT Assumptions

*Please note that changes to the Abbreviated DBT Skills Training curriculum have been made as of April 2024.

DBT Skills Group Weekly Agenda:

• Mindfulness Practice

• Review of Home Practice

• New Skills Training

• Check Out

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Group Discussion and Application to Clinical Practice will be woven into skills training in each session. DBT encourages a home practice to generalize the skills discussed. For this reason, homework is assigned and reviewed in each session.

What You'll Gain:

• A thorough understanding of the DBT skills, their function and how to practice them with clients

• Strategies to help your clients create lasting behaviour changes

• Tools to support individuals that experience their emotions as intense/overwhelming

• First hand experience of what it's like to be in a DBT Skills Group as a participant (alongside fellow clinicians and students). You'll develop greater insight into your own habits and learn skills to better your own life

• An intimate, engaging learning environment with a maximum group size of 10

• A Certificate of Completion at the end of the course (assuming all requirements have been met)

Required Text: DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition, 2014. Participants may consider purchasing the DBT Skills Training Manual instead, which comes with digital access to the Handouts and Worksheets, as well as teaching notes for each skill. This is recommended if you intend on leading a DBT Skills Group.

Regarding Attendance:

Our trainings occur live and attendance is required, however we understand that things happen! It is completely understandable to miss a session due to a conflict, emergency, illness, etc. Your facilitator will make every effort to record the Skills Training portion of the session missed (the second hour of the session). You are required to watch the recording within 7 days, however it will be available up to one month to rewatch. Being absent for more than 20% of the course (e.g. more than 2 sessions of the Abbreviated Course and more than 3 of the Intensive Course) will disqualify you from receiving a certificate of attendance. Missing an entire module will also preclude you from receiving a certificate of attendance. Please contact us directly if this becomes an issue so that we can problem solve with you to assure you meet course completion requirements.

• Upcoming dates for Fall to be posted in July 2025. Please check back then or email info@dbthouse.com to inquire about being on our waitlist