DBT-Informed Therapy: Foundations

This course aims to increase knowledge and skill to apply a Dialectical Behavior Therapy-informed approach to client care. This course uses a selection of learning tools such as expert discussion and explanation, role plays, and knowledge checks. After finishing this course, you should be able to explain the difference between a DBT-informed approach and how it contrasts with implementing a full DBT approach, describe an accurate therapeutic DBT-informed paradigm shift that informs the practitioner’s perspective on clients’ symptoms and presentation, evaluate the DBT model as it pertains to client assessment and orientation, including setting client expectations and maintaining them, treatment contracts, and setting client priorities in individual client sessions, and define four skills that can be imparted to clients in building their DBT toolkits over time and in an individual format. The course also includes supplementary tools like printable resources and short videos for you and your clients. 

• Estimated Course Length:  2 hrs. and 41 mins.
• CE/CNE Credits:  2.50 continuing education/contact hours for psychologists, social workers, and nurses / 2.25 continuing education hours for counselors and marriage and family therapists.
• Course Includes: 4 modules consisting of a mixed media approach with roleplays, video interviews with subject matter experts, and knowledge checks
• Videos:  5 videos to highlight key concepts or share with clients to enhance learning
• Supplementary PDFs: 10 downloadable PDFs expanding on relevant course topics
• Target Audience: Mental Health Practitioners, Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists, Psychologists, Mental Healthcare Students, and Nurses
• Level of Instruction: Intermediate
• Prerequisite: None
• Instructional Method: Self-paced, interactive, hybrid of audio, text, video, and knowledge checks 
• Accessibility Accommodations: Closed captioning of all audio and video components. In order to request further accessibility accommodations, please email support@psychhub.com.
• Completion Requirements: To obtain your CE certificate, you must complete a pre-test (not scored), progress through all course segments, complete a participant evaluation, and obtain a score of 80% or higher on a post-test quiz. Learners are expected to complete the quiz within 3 attempts. If unable to do so, the learner will need to re-review the course segments.
• Financial/Commercial Support Statement: This course has no commercial support.
• Conflict of Interest: This course has no potential conflict of interest or outside commercial support. Psych Hub's conflict of interest statement is found in the footer of the training center.
• Grievance and Refund Policies: Grievance and refund policies are found in the footer of the training center.
• Participation Costs: The cost to participate in this CE activity is included in the subscription registration fee.
• Course Creation Date: 4/28/22

Course Objectives

What the learner should be able to do upon course completion:

1. Explain the difference between a DBT-informed approach and how it contrasts with implementing a full DBT approach. 

2. Describe an accurate therapeutic DBT-informed paradigm shift that informs the practitioner’s perspective on clients’ symptoms and presentation.

3. Evaluate the DBT model as it pertains to client assessment and orientation, including setting client expectations and maintaining them, treatment contracts, and setting client priorities in individual client sessions. 

4. Define four skills that can be imparted to clients in building their DBT toolkits over time and in an individual format. The definition should include an explanation of why, when, and how to use skills in the four DBT modules of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

TIMED COURSE OUTLINE

Since the course is interactive and each learner will proceed at their own pace, timing is not exact. These are approximations based on average pre/post-test time of pilot testers as well as the run-time of course videos. This course does not have to be completed in one session. 

COURSE ACTIVITIES FOR CE CREDIT (≥ 2 HOURS 09 MINUTES)

PRE-COURSE ASSESSMENT: (~5 minutes) [EXCLUDED FROM ACTIVITIES FOR NBCC & CAMFT CREDIT]

INTRODUCTION: (~1 minute)

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT OF DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY (~25 minutes)

The basics of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy model, the DBT-informed approach, and how it informs the practitioner's perspectives on clients' symptoms and presentation.

MODULE 2: PRE-TREATMENT: CLIENT ASSESSMENT AND ORIENTATION (~15 minutes)

How to assess and orient a client to DBT-informed care, including setting expectations and treatment contracts. 

MODULE 3: INDIVIDUAL CLIENT SESSIONS (~20 minutes)

Structuring individual client sessions using diary cards, behavior chain analysis, solution analysis, reinforcement, and how to mitigate common barriers and challenges.

MODULE 4: SKILLS TRAINING (~1 hour & 3 minutes)

Overview and demonstration of skills that clients can learn and add to their DBT toolkits, including why, when, and how to use skills in the four DBT modules of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

POST-COURSE ASSESSMENT (~10 minutes) [EXCLUDED FROM ACTIVITIES FOR NBCC & CAMFT CREDIT]

COURSE ACTIVITIES NOT FOR CE CREDIT

PARTICIPANT EVALUATION (~10 minutes)

(OPTIONAL) Supplementary Videos for Learner