Professionals working with suicidal adolescents with multiple problems are often challenged by complex clinical presentations and the many dilemmas that arise during treatment.
Evidence suggests that Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) can help suicidal adolescents and their families. This 1-day workshop explores DBT and its application to an adolescent population to engage and retain young people in therapy.
Participants will advance their knowledge in specific principles and strategies relevant to DBT skills training and coaching with adolescents and families, individual therapy, family sessions, and managing communication and coaching outside of session (e.g. phone calls, emails, texts, etc.). Specific attention will be paid to teaching adolescents and families the skills of dialectics, validation, and behaviour change (“Middle Path”).
Course Prerequisites: The Foundations in DBT (Online) or Essentials in DBT workshop is a prerequisite for this workshop. Clinicians are required to be trained to a level where they have knowledge of DBT, the standard content and processes of DBT.
Workshop content
– Become familiar with existing DBT research for suicidal multi-problem adults and adolescents
– Identify the theory, principles, functions, and modes of comprehensive DBT and explore how they apply to working with adolescents and families
– Introduce the biosocial theory
– Employ DBT commitment strategies with adolescents
– Target problematic behaviours
– Involve families in DBT.
