Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A): An Introduction

Suicidal behaviors, including completed suicides, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation, and non-suicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSIB) pose serious problems for adolescents. Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT-A), developed by Drs. Jill Rathus, Alec Miller, and Marsha Linehan, is an effective treatment for treating adolescent suicidality and NSSIB. DBT-A includes a number of features that make it helpful at treating the complex challenges that arise when treating these adolescents and their families. In this workshop, participants will learn about for whom DBT-A is appropriate, the theory underlying the conceptualization of their difficulties and the research on DBT-A, the adaptations made from standard DBT to address the needs of adolescents and their families, and the different DBT treatment strategies. Learning Objectives: 1) Participants will identify at least three symptoms/areas of dysregulation that would indicate that an adolescent would benefit from DBT-A 2) Participants will understand and explain the underlying theoretical model of DBT. 3) Participants will identify the modes and functions of treatment, the stages of treatment, and the five treatment strategies used in DBT-A. 4) Participants will identify at least three adaptations made from standard adult DBT to DBT-A. Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0123. Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content.