Psychological Training Limited

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), originally developed by Marsha M. Linehan for the treatment of women with borderline personality disorder with self harming behaviour, is an exciting, effective and empowering therapy for use wth clients with complex and difficult to treat problems. Since the early days of its application, therapists and researchers have seen the potential for applying DBT to other client populations. Adaptations of DBT have been successfully used with people with co-morbid substance misuse (Linehan, Schmidt, Dimeff, Craft, Kanter, Comtois, 1999), clients with eating disorders (e.g. Telch, Agras & Linehan, 2001), depressed older adults (Lynch, Mendelson & Robins, 2003), suicidal adolescents (Rathaus & Miller, 2002) and forensic populations (Macann, Ball & Ivanoff, 2000). DBT is now often regarded as a treatment for complex 'multi-diagnostic' and 'difficult-to-treat' patients.

Rooted firmly in CBT, the therapy is usually a team treatment which brings together CBT techniques with elements of theory and techniques from other sources, such as Dialectics. DBT provides a theoretically coherent way of understanding the problems that clients present with. It also gives a structure to treatment and is based on a set of principles which can guide therapy even when settings and the modalities of delivery may vary.

This one day workshop will introduce the theory and practice of DBT. In addition to an understanding of who DBT techniques may be applicable for, how the parts of DBT fit together and what some of the 'active ingredients' of change are, you will get a chance to see and practise, through role play, some of the techniques that are involved.

The usual presenters are Dr Fiona Kennedy and Dr Sara Melly. See our About page for more information.

Dates for this workshop will be announced soon.