Mini Workshop 19 - The Dance of DBT-A: A Live, Annotated Role-play of Multiple DBT Providers in an Adolescent Session

For those of us who specialize in providing Dialectical Behavior Therapy to adolescents (DBT-A; an effective evidence based treatment for multi-problem adolescents) (Miller, Rathus, Linehan, 2006; McCauley et al., 2018), a common refrain we hear from those who are DBT- and/or adolescent-curious is “How on earth?!” In the interest of behavioral specificity, we have clarified that question to mean: how do you treat clients who are that complex, with problems that seem resistant to intervention, and especially when they are teens, all while honoring your interpersonal style? Although DBT is rarely easy, and teens not always eager, we are proof that DBT-A is possible and allows space for individual clinician differences.

Part of the complexity of learning DBT is that there are many strategies for clinicians to master. One core strategy that fosters our love of DBT-A is radical genuineness – the freedom of the provider to be themselves with their client in a way that deepens the relationship, advances treatment, and moves the client towards their life worth living goals (Linehan, 1993). While this is a powerful clinical tool, it can be out of the realm of training and comfort, for senior and more novice clinicians alike.

In our experience – as DBT-A clinicians, supervisors, and seasoned presenters at ABCT – the best way to debunk people’s worries about DBT-A is to show them how it’s done (e.g., Yaeger, Maliken, Gorraiz, Shaller, & Vijay, 2022). This workshop will model being a DBT clinician by showing you three different clinicians treating the same adolescent client in the same session. This will demonstrate how DBT is principle (rather than protocol) driven, and that many different styles can lead to the same end – a productive, manageable, and adherent session.

The workshop will be structured in three parts. We will begin by teaching the DBT stylistic strategies, highlighting the flexibility inherent within the adherent delivery of this treatment. We will then do a live role-play, rotating between three clinicians while another member of our team live-codes the strategies being used in the session. The workshop will conclude with time for questions.

Outline:
- 4:30pm – 4:40pm: Introductions and overview
- 4:40pm – 5:10: Didactic instruction on the DBT Stylistic Strategies
- 5:10pm – 5:15pm: Overview of role play structure and content
- 5:15pm – 5:45pm: Role play with live annotation
- 5:45pm – 6pm: Question and answer