Intensive Training

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Intensive Training

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 4, maximum of 10) is a group of mental health professionals who meet at least weekly to assist each other in applying DBT in their practice setting. Training is conducted in two five-day sessions of instruction divided by six to nine months of home study and requires a high level of dedication so we ask teams to discuss their level of commitment prior to applying.

Intensive training consists of two, five-day training seminars separated by an interval of approximately six to eight months. During the interval, teams undertake the development of DBT programs, the clinical application of DBT and other specified homework.

Training is conducted with teams, as DBT recognises that therapists need a supportive system in order to sustain work with this client group. A team is defined as a group of clinicians who regularly meet and work together. Teams should be formed and meeting regularly prior to commencing training.

Team members must commit to attending both parts of the intensive training and be in a position to undertake development work in the period between the training blocks. This requires each member of the team to commit a minimum of one to one-and-a-half days per week each to the joint development of skills and experience. Management support of this should be arranged prior to commencing training. It is not possible to accept individual applications for training, nor is it possible for teams to attend for a reduced time period.

During Part One of the Intensive, teams will learn more about the practice of DBT, both individual therapy, skills group training, telephone consultations, and case management strategies via didactic presentations, role plays and other clinical exercises, together with viewing and discussing video-taped clinical material. Teams have the opportunity to think about the implementation of DBT within their own settings and to receive guidance on how to adapt DBT to unique aspects of their own services.

Part Two of the Intensive requires teams to present their work, developed during the intervening months, for discussion with the trainers and other teams. Teams are required to present a protocol for delivering DBT within their own clinical setting and present a clinical case they have treated over the period of training. There is opportunity for further therapy skills development and the aim is to consolidate the teams’ work and enable it to proceed confidently.

DBT is an integrative therapy based on behavioural and cognitive principles. Clinicians from a range of professional and therapeutic backgrounds have trained and are training in DBT, including former psychodynamic therapists. However it is essential for potential DBT therapists to have and/or be open to learning and applying basic behavioural principles. Each team should have at least one member with a background in psychology and one with a background in CBT.