Workshops

DBT: Theory and Practice

Early bird rates extended to October 29, 2021! 

Presented by: Dr. Alexander L. Chapman, Dr. Jacquie Cohen, Dr. John R. Wagner

Dates: November 16 & 17, 2021
Time: 9 AM – 4:30 PM each day
Location: Zoom for Healthcare

Download poster.

About DBT

As a comprehensive, cognitive behavioural treatment, DBT consists of individual therapy, group skills training, a therapist consultation team, and between-session telephone coaching. Originally designed to help chronically suicidal individuals, DBT has become a gold-standard treatment for clients with complex mental health problems. DBT has demonstrated effectiveness for adults with borderline personality disorder, including those with co-occurring substance use disorders or eating disorders, as well as suicidal or self-injuring adolescents. Findings have shown that DBT also has promise for the treatment of adolescents with bipolar disorder and children with serious behavioural or emotional dysregulation, complex trauma, major depression, and transdiagnostic emotional regulation. Further, evidence has shown that DBT significantly reduces healthcare costs for complex clients. DBT programs exist in over 50 countries around the world. 

About the Workshop

The goal of the workshop is to provide clinicians with a firm foundation in DBT theory and practice, focusing primarily on DBT in individual therapy. The course will cover what DBT is, its theoretical foundations and assumptions, the functions and modes of treatment, and strategies and treatment protocols. Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to do the following:

1.Identify the dialectical and biosocial underpinnings of DBT.
2.Describe the general structure of DBT, including the components and functions of treatment.
3.Recognize for whom DBT is appropriate and provide psychoeducation regarding the treatment.
4.Identify behavioural targets of DBT.
5.Describe, discuss, and use key intervention strategies used in individual DBT (including assessment, stylistic, and change strategies).

This course is for clinicians who want to learn the fundamentals of DBT so they can decide if this treatment is right for them, determine which of their clients would benefit from DBT, and use DBT principles to inform their own practice. This training is an excellent start on the path to providing standard DBT; however, more training would be needed for most clinicians who wish to make DBT a primary focus of their practice.

Counsellors, psychologists, physicians, psychiatrists, case managers, social workers, nurses, and other clinicians working on a mental health team as well as therapists working in a solo or group practice will learn a valuable treatment model, develop their repertoire of clinical skills, and deepen their understanding of clinical interventions. Additionally, participants will become better equipped and more confident working with clients struggling with complex mental health problems.

Teaching methods will include didactic presentations, demonstrations, video/audio clips, experiential exercises, and active practice by participants. This will be an active, engaging workshop. Participants will receive slides and worksheets in advance of the workshop.

About DBT Training

This workshop is a part of series led by the DBT Centre of Vancouver. Following completion of this training, the next step in our DBT training program would be our 3-day training in DBT skills, which we plan to offer in Spring 2022.

Recommended Reading

Participants are encouraged to read Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder by Marsha Linehan (1993) Guilford Press

About the Instructors

Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R. Psych., is the President of the DBT Centre, Professor in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University (SFU), as well as a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship working with Dr. Marsha Linehan, the developer of DBT, and was among the first cohort of certified DBT clinicians by the Linehan Board of Certification.  He regularly consults with mental health providers working with complex psychological problems and has provided workshops across Canada and the US. Full bio.

 

Jacquie Cohen, Ph.D., C. Psych., is a Registered Psychologist in Nova Scotia and an Advanced Practice Lead with the Mental Health and Addictions Program at Nova Scotia Health. In 2010, she co-founded Nova Scotia Health’s Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Treatment Program, which she co-led the program for 10 years. Dr. Cohen is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University and a Clinical Associate with the Dalhousie Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

 

 

John Wagner, Ph.D., R. Psych., the Director of the DBT Centre of Vancouver, an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, as well as a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship working with Dr. Marsha Linehan, the developer of DBT, and was among the first cohort of certified DBT clinicians by the Linehan Board of Certification.  He regularly consults with mental health providers working with complex psychological problems and has provided workshops across Canada. Full bio. 

 

Continuing Education Credits

The DBT Centre of Vancouver is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. The DBT Centre of Vancouver maintains responsibility for the program as a provider of continuing education (CE) activities.

The CPA’s approval of an individual, group, or organization as a CE Sponsor or Provider is restricted to the activities described in the approved application or annual report form. The CPA’s approval does not extend to any other CE activity the Sponsor or Provider might offer. In granting its approval, the CPA assumes no legal or financial obligations to Sponsors, Providers, or to those individuals who might participate in a Sponsor or Provider’s CE activities or programs. Further, responsibility for the content, provision, and delivery of any CE activity approved by the CPA remains that of the CE Sponsor or Provider. The CPA disclaims all legal liability associated with the content, provision, and delivery of the approved CE activity.

Twelve (12) credits will be available for this training, depending on attendance and completion of the final workshop evaluation. We will email PDF copies of signed CE certificates to participants within 3 weeks of the event at no extra cost. Unfortunately we are not able to award CME credits for physicians.

Cancellation Policy

DBTCV will provide refunds up to 7 days prior for a schedule class. Refunds are subject to a $50 administrative fee. Refunds will not be provided after Monday, November 9, 2021.