Calm in the Chaos: Distress Tolerance Skills for Managing Overwhelm

Practical tools. Real impact. 

Evidence-based support for young people in distress. If you work with young people who struggle with overwhelm, impulsivity, or emotional intensity, this workshop is for you.

Presenter: Dr. Madeline Wishart

Pain is part of the human experience, and we all experience crises at different times in our lives. Some young people have difficulty tolerating any distress and regulating their emotions, engaging in unhelpful behaviours in an attempt to downregulate (i.e., to reduce, alleviate or ameliorate unwanted emotions) or upregulate their emotions (i.e., to generate feelings or feel something). Unlike traditional therapies, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) takes a skills-based approach to learning to sit with, and accept these uncomfortable emotions when pain is unavoidable. Distress tolerance skills are aimed at helping young people cope with crises and experience distress without avoiding it or making it worse.

This full day workshop will draw upon the distress tolerance and mindfulness modules of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) to teach a range of coping, distress tolerance, and mindfulness skills. These skill sets will focus on strategies that can be assimilated directly back into your work with young people. These skills will equip young people to more effectively manage intense, overwhelming, or uncomfortable emotions, thoughts, memories, images, urges, and physical sensations without resorting to unhelpful, impulsive, challenging or harmful behaviours, such as self-injury, substance use, binge eating, lashing out, numbing, or avoidance. 

WORKSHOP OUTLINE

Session 1
This session will focus on laying the theoretical underpinnings for understanding distress tolerance, including a brief introduction to Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Why do some adolescents struggle with tolerating distress and regulating their emotions? Emotions eek! - avoid, numb, supress, and push away at all costs! What is Distress Tolerance? When and why distress tolerance skills should be used.

Session 2
During this session we will examine the “D” in DBT – Dialectics. An overview of the empirical evidence of DBT skills for adolescents. Therapeutic assumptions in DBT and the goals of distress tolerance. Mindfulness is a superpower, so let’s get really comfortable with it. Mindfulness myth busting. Putting the “What” and “How” mindfulness skills into practice.

Session 3
The three mind states in DBT. Beyond rubber bands: using distress tolerance skills for harmful or unhelpful behaviours. Crisis survival skills, skills, skills. Creating a crisis survival kit.

Session 4
Distress tolerance skills for when the crisis is addiction. Acceptance DBT style – it’s radical! Creating change and challenging young people when they feel “stuck”. Practice, patience, persistence, and perseverance: lessons from nature.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Developing an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings for understanding distress tolerance, including a brief introduction to Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).

• Understanding why mindfulness is a core skill in DBT; and how to effectively put the “what” and “how” skills of mindfulness into practice with young people.

• Knowledge of a range of distress tolerance skills to assist young people in more effectively managing intense and overwhelming emotions, thoughts, physical sensations, urges, or memories.

• Developing an understanding of crisis survival skills and how to create a distress tolerance action plan, and crisis survival kit with young people.

DR MADELINE WISHART

Dr Madeline Wishart is a Clinical Psychologist with a special interest in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), and young people who experience difficulty in regulating their emotions and tolerating distress. She has a PhD, along with a Masters in both Professional and Clinical Psychology. Madeline has a combined history of both research and practical experience across a variety of settings. She has worked in the education, community, private and psychiatric sectors as a youth, school, trauma counsellor, and psychologist. In an academic and research capacity, Madeline has been employed as a sessional lecturer and project officer at Victoria University; and a research officer at Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS) in Melbourne. For the past two decades, Madeline has provided professional training in NSSI and distress tolerance in young people, and she has been invited to present at a number of international mental health conferences. Madeline currently divides her time between her private practice - Wishart Psychology; and Psych Voice, where she delivers professional development, supervision, and evidence-based workshops designed to equip professionals with practical strategies for working with young people.

With an academic background and extensive experience supporting individuals engaging in NSSI, including as a school counsellor and psychologist, Madeline understands the unique challenges of working with young people. Her workshops are comprehensive and highly practical, offering strategies that can be directly and immediately incorporated into your professional practice.

PSYCH VOICE PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES TOOLKIT

Included complimentary with your registration,you'll receive the Distress Tolerance Skills Professional Resources Toolkit (PDF), an extensive 100+ page collection packed with practical worksheets, interactive exercises, curated references, and exclusive resources.

This workshop-specific toolkit has been purposefully curated to extend your learning beyond the session. It’s filled with targeted strategies and evidence-based tools you can immediately incorporate into your work with young people navigating distress, impulsivity, and emotional overwhelm.

CPD Hours

Active CPD: This workshop includes an optional post-workshop assessment. Delegates who complete this assessment can claim 6 hours of Active CPD.

Self-Identified CPD: All other delegates can claim 6 hours of self-identified CPD in their respective professions.

‼️Please note this event is live and will not be recorded

Payment Options

We've got flexible payment options to make things easy. You can choose Google Pay, Credit Card, PayPal, or request an Invoice at checkout.

Need an Invoice?

We understand that schools and organisations often require an invoice before processing payment, and we’re here to support that.

To secure your place at the workshop, you must complete the full registration form in full and submit it. This step is essential, even if you plan to pay later via invoice.

Once your registration is successfully submitted:

1. Click the “Request Invoice” button.

2. A formal invoice will be generated.

3. This invoice can be downloaded, printed, and shared with your school or organisation for payment.

4. Your place at the workshop is saved once you’ve submitted your registration form,

5. Your ticket will be confirmed and emailed to you once payment has been received.

👉 Stronger outcomes start with shared learning. 

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