Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based one-year treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) with four required components. Specifically, full model (i.e., standard) DBT programs must provide: (1) weekly individual DBT, (2) weekly DBT group skills training, (3) weekly therapist consultation team meetings using a specific structure and process, and (4) skill generalization telephone calls 24/7 from patients as needed. It is a long and complicated treatment with difficult-to-treat patients, requiring a major investment in therapist training. Put simply, implementing full model DBT requires significant time, cost, and other resources, making it challenging for many clinicians, practice settings, and larger clinical systems to support a comprehensive DBT program. This raises a question: is it necessary to implement all of DBT, or just certain parts?

The purpose of the present training is to help clinicians and practice settings learn how to rapidly start and successfully sustain a DBT skills training group using the brief transdiagnostic approach. This is not an intensive DBT training. Instead, participants will learn how to staff, screen, implement, and maintain DBT skills training groups for adults. Training will include a brief overview of full model DBT before learning about the adapted transdiagnostic skill training curriculum. This will include teaching skills from each of the four skills modules that are used in the DBT groups, as well as learning how to address common therapy-interfering problems successfully.