KNOW YOUR DBT PROVIDER, RIGHTS, AND EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION!!!!
I cannot stress your rights as a DBT client enough. Many times when individuals seek out DBT, they are doing so because they have been to multiple providers without success, feel overwhelmed and like there is something wrong with them that therapy or even DBT does not work. You may have had therapists tell you you’re not trying hard enough, that you don’t want to change, or that they’ve done the best they can. I have heard clients repeatedly say these things to me about themselves and past therapists. I want you to know you have rights to get the best treatment there is.
DBT Education: Your DBT provider may have been educated in a variety of ways.
- B-Tech is the gold standard for DBT training. This training comes directly from the creater of DBT, Marhsa Linehan. They provide a variety of trainings, the key is to look for someone who has taken the 5 day foundational or intensive course. They may also have had a 2 day intro course, or also have attended additional trainings such as DBT Groups, Prolonged Exposure, and other continuing education classes.
- PESI also offers DBT education
- Your clinician may be trained by a provider who is neither a PESI or B-Tech trainer. You have the right to ask about their background, what the training was like, and where the trainer was trained.
DBT Certification
- DBT-LBC remains the ONLY recognized certification for DBT in the DBT professional world. This is a rigorous training that clinicians go through including an exam, submitting recordings, and participating in consultation.
- PESI Certified – this is someone who has completed the PESI trainings
- “Certified” is not a regulated term so many clinicians may use this. Be sure to ask what that means and get the credentials behind it!
Am I getting Model-Adherent DBT? ALL four components must be present!
- Individual sessions weekly: You should be having weekly individual therapy sessions. These last an hour and are structured using a Diary Card you fill out each week for your therapist. Targets of the session are: Life Threatening Behavior, Therapy Interfering Behavior, and Quality of Life Interfering Behavior, addressed in this order.
- DBT Skills Training: Your skills learning will occur individually, or ideally in a group setting. Each group will follow the structure of: a mindfulness exercise, homework checkin, and learning new skill. Your group leader will provide handouts or skills materials using the DBT Skills Manual by Marsha Linehan or an adapted Adolescent Skills Manual if the training is for an adolescent and/or family. If these aren’t being used, you have the right to ask why.
- Skills Coaching: Your therapist should be available to you for skills coaching. This can be done by calls or texts, but is when the client reaches out between sessions to ask for help using the skills. DBT assumes that you have to learn the skills in all relevant contexts, not just in group, and this is designed to support that. If you do not have this available to you, ask your therapist. It is a vital component.
- Consultation Team: your therapist is required to attend a consultation team meeting regularly. These should occur weekly, and your therapist should be making every effort to attend weekly. This is where clinicians with similar trainings and backgrounds meet to discuss situations where they feel stuck, remain current on DBT education, and remind themselves of the model. You have the right to ask about your therapist’s consultation team members, their educational background in DBT, and how confidentiality is ensured in this meeting.
Does Your Provider Use the Skills?
YES! Your provider should be using the DBT skills in their daily life, and be happy to provide you with examples of how they do so. We must practice what we preach, and honestly, everyone should know and use these skills!!!
More Questions?
Check out the Behavioral Tech (B-Tech) website for more information! www.behavioraltech.org
The DBT-LBC certification: www.DBT-LBC.org