Workshops

Running Effective DBT Skills Groups – 2025

Presented by: Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych., and John Wagner, Ph.D., R.Psych.

Dates: Friday, June 6, 2025
Time: 9 AM – 4:30 PM PDT
Location: HSBC Hall at UBC Robson Square 800 Robson St., downtown Vancouver

Download a PDF description of this workshop.

About the Workshop

DBT has emerged as an effective, compassionate treatment for people with complex mental health challenges characterized by difficulties with emotion regulation. Evidence supports the use of DBT in reducing suicidal and self-harming behaviour, a range of mental health symptoms, and the use of intensive treatment resources (e.g., hospitalization). One way that DBT addresses these challenges and helps clients build lives worth living is by teaching a variety of practical behavioural skills. Skills training in DBT involves a weekly group (approximately 1.5-2.5 hours) in which therapists teach clients mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.

It’s one thing to know the skills, and it can be another thing altogether to effectively teach them to complex clients in a group format. Effectively running a DBT skills group involves knowing how to lead mindfulness practices, teach skills in a way that’s engaging and inspiring, coach clients in how to use skills in difficult situations, and manage difficult behaviour that comes up during group. This workshop is designed for clinicians who are interested in starting a DBT skills training group and are already familiar with the core DBT mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills. It can also be helpful to those wanting to improve the ways in which they are running an existing group.

The primary aim of this workshop is to help prepare clinicians to effectively lead dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills training groups

Topics Covered

• Structure, functions, and targets of DBT skills training
• Navigating the first half of the group (mindfulness & homework review)
• Targeting behaviour (chain & missing links analysis)
• Effective skills teaching in DBT
• Managing therapy interfering behaviour & special topics

Learning Objectives

• Describe the purpose of DBT skills and skills training groups.
• Describe the targets and structure of DBT skills groups.
• Describe principles for navigating homework review and coaching clients in skills.
• Describe effective methods for teaching the skills.
• Describe principles and strategies for addressing challenging or therapy-interfering behaviours in groups.

This workshop is for clinicians that have already an understanding of DBT skills and are interested in starting or more effectively leading a DBT skills training group. Previous DBT training and/or experience is required, such as our multi-day DBT Skills workshop running May 8 -9, 2025.

Who Should Attend

This training is geared toward mental health professionals who already have some DBT training and/or have DBT experience already.

The following clinicians will find this workshop most helpful:

• Clinicians who wish to begin a DBT skills group.
• Clinicians already running a group who wish to improve their skills.

Recommended Reading

Participants are encouraged to purchase and read the text DBT Skills Training Manual by Marsha Linehan. The manual is available via:

Chapters/Indigo: DBT Skills Training Manual

Guilford Press: DBT Skills Training Manual

Purchasers of this manual get online access to all skills training handouts and worksheets.

Format & Schedule

Workshop will take place in the HSBC Hall at UBC Robson Square 800 Robson St., downtown Vancouver.

Recordings of the workshop will not be available.

Tentative schedule

8:30am – Room is open. (Coffee and muffins will be available.) 

9am – 10:30 First session

10:30 – 10:45 Break (Refreshments will be available.)

10:45 – Noon Second session

Noon – 1pm Lunch (Participants on their own lunch.)

1pm – 2:30 Third session

2:30 – 2:45 Break (Refreshments will be available.)

2:45 – 4:15 Fourth session

4:15 – 4:30pm Wrap up

About the Presenters

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. In addition, Dr. Chapman has published 5 books focused on DBT, along with several others related to evidence-based practice or coping skills for consumers. He regularly consults with mental health providers working with complex psychological problems and has provided workshops across Canada and the US. Full bio.

 

 

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. 

 

Both are enthusiastic presenters and greatly enjoy working with clinicians to enhance their skills with evidence based treatments.

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. At the end of the workshop, participants will receive a letter of attendance confirming the number of credits awarded (1 credit/hour). This workshop is eligible for 6 CE credits. Unfortunately we are not able to award CME credits for physicians.

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.

Cancellation Policy

The DBT Centre of Vancouver will provide refunds up to 7 days prior to a scheduled workshop and are subject to a $75 admin fee.