Description

This 3-day virtual live workshop is designed to provide therapists with training in how to improve their adherence and competence when delivering DBT individual therapy. DBT is a comprehensive, principle-driven treatment that requires therapists to learn and apply many strategies. Some strategies are needed in all sessions, whereas other strategies are context-dependent. Adherent treatment delivery requires therapists to know which strategies are needed when and how to apply them effectively. In this workshop, we will review the core therapeutic strategies that are used to evaluate adherence in DBT individual therapy sessions. Participants will learn about the DBT Adherence Checklist for Individual Therapy (DBT AC-I) that has been developed to help therapists evaluate and improve their own and others’ delivery of DBT. Emphasis will be placed on when and how to apply the strategies in the DBT AC-I as well as how to avoid common adherence pitfalls. Instructors will use lecture, live demonstrations, and video review to provide examples of adherent versus non-adherent application of DBT. This workshop assumes participants have general and applied knowledge of DBT treatment strategies and will not include a basic review of DBT. It is also not intended to provide the training needed to become a reliable coder on the DBT AC-I, but it will help participants learn to use the measure as a quality improvement tool. This workshop will be particularly valuable to therapists planning to pursue certification in DBT as well as those who provide supervision in DBT.

Learning Objectives

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

Describe reasons why it is important to deliver DBT adherently.
Use the DBT Adherence Checklist for Individual Therapy as a quality improvement tool.
Explain how to structure DBT individual therapy sessions in an adherent manner.
Explain how to conduct adherent chain analyses.
Identify adherent application of DBT problem-solving strategies.
Explain how to use DBT validation strategies adherently.
Explain how to deliver DBT dialectical strategies adherently.
Explain how to use DBT stylistic strategies adherently.
Explain how to use DBT case management strategies adherently.
Identify common ways in which core DBT strategies are applied non-adherently.
Determine areas for improvement in your own delivery of DBT individual therapy.
Provide adherence-related feedback to others in supervision and/or consultation team.
Deliver DBT individual therapy with greater adherence and competence.

Who Should Attend

This advanced workshop is intended for mental health professionals who:

Have previously been trained in DBT (ideally the equivalent of DBT Intensive or Foundational training),
Currently provide DBT individual therapy
Are active members of DBT consultation teams
Want to advance their ability to provide DBT to the level of adherence, and
Agree to review the DBT AC-I and the DBT AC-I manual prior to the training (available at www.dbtadherence.com).

Daily Schedule (all times are in Pacific Time)

6:30 - 7:00 Login and Test Zoom Set-Up
7:00 - 8:45 Teaching Section 1
8:45 - 9:15 Break
9:15 - 10:45 Teaching Section 2
10:45 - 11:45 Lunch
11:45 - 1:15 Teaching Section 3
1:15 - 1:45 Break
1:45 - 3:15 Teaching Section 4
3:15 - 3:30 Q&A, Evaluation, and Logout

Trainers

Melanie Harned, PhD, ABPP is a Psychologist and Coordinator of the DBT Program at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle Division as well as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. Dr. Harned has previously worked as the Research Director of Dr. Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics at the University of Washington (2006-2018), Director of Research and Development for Behavioral Tech, LLC (2014-2017), and Director of Behavioral Tech Research, Inc. (2013-2016). Dr. Harned’s research has focused on the development and evaluation of the DBT Prolonged Exposure protocol for PTSD as well as methods of disseminating and implementing evidence-based treatments into clinical practice. As part of this work, she co-developed the DBT Adherence Checklist for Individual Therapy (DBT AC-I) and the DBT Program Fidelity Checklist (DBT PFC). She regularly provides training and consultation nationally and internationally in DBT and DBT PE and has published extensively on these treatments. She is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician, a certified PE therapist and consultant, is certified in Behavioral and Cognitive therapy by the American Board of Professional Psychology, and is licensed as a psychologist in the state of Washington.

Sara Schmidt, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Washington, where she is in private practice, and a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician. Until 2021, she served as the Associate Director of the Trauma and Suicide Treatment Research Lab at the Seattle Institute for Biomedical and Clinical Research, part of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, where she was a Co-Investigator on NIMH-funded research focused on the evaluation and implementation of DBT and the DBT Prolonged Exposure (DBT PE) protocol for PTSD. As part of this work, she co-developed the DBT Adherence Checklist for Individual Therapy (DBT AC-I), a tool that can be used by DBT therapists to evaluate the degree to which they are delivering DBT in a way that is consistent with the treatment manual. Dr. Schmidt received her BA in Psychology from Wesleyan University, and her MA and PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Westchester Jewish Community Services in Hartsdale, NY, and her postdoctoral training with Dr. Melanie Harned at the University of Washington’s Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics (BRTC). Following her postdoctoral fellowship, she remained at the BRTC as a Research Scientist, where she directed the graduate training program in DBT. She currently maintains a Clinical Instructor position through the Department of Psychology supervising advanced doctoral students. Dr. Schmidt regularly provides professional trainings and consultation in DBT and DBT PE nationally and internationally and has published several peer reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics.

Cost

Workshop Fee:

Early Bird Discount: for registrations paid by October 30, 2026 - $1,095 per person
Standard Price: for registrations paid by January 26, 2027 - $1,195 per person

This fee covers the cost of the workshop and supporting materials, which will include electronic copies of the slide handouts and additional training materials that will be emailed to you prior to the workshop. Sales tax will be applied for residents of Washington state. This fee does not include the cost of CE credits (see below).

Optional Add-On Service:

Session Review with Adherence Feedback - $375 per session

Participants may opt to submit one DBT individual therapy session to be reviewed and coded for adherence by a trainer. The DBT Adherence Checklist for Individual Therapy (DBT AC-I) will be used to code the session and provide written feedback. Video- or audio-recordings of sessions must be received within one month after the training, no more than 1 hour in length, and in English (or have English subtitles). Once your session is received, you will be given an estimate of when to expect to receive your feedback report (timing will depend on how many people request this service). Please note that this service does not include meeting with a trainer to discuss the feedback report, although this may be available for an additional fee upon request. Sessions submitted for review cannot be submitted to the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification for the purpose of attaining certification as a DBT therapist. You will also be required to attest that you have your client’s authorization to share their recorded session with us for adherence coding purposes.

Workshop and session review fees are refundable up to 30 days before the event (minus processing fees).

Optional Continuing Education Credits:

Continuing Education credits - $40 per person

This fee covers the cost of 19.5 Continuing Education credits that will be offered by Triangle Area Psychology clinic.

NOTE: CE credits are not included in this registration and must be registered and paid for separately via Triangle Area Psychology clinic (see below).

Continuing Education Information

Continuing Education (CE) credits are being offered for this workshop by Triangle Area Psychology clinic Continuing Education (TAP CE: https://tapclinicnc.com/tapce/) as described below.

19.5 CE credits are being offered for this workshop for those who attend the event in full. TAP is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. TAP maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Participants who miss more than 15 minutes of the training will not be eligible for CEs - partial CE credits will not be given. Participants are required to sign in online at the beginning and conclusion of the course and participate fully in the course, Q&A and any assessments given by the presenters. Questions about the CE credits for this event can be directed to tapce@tapclinicnc.com.

Other Information

The workshop will be held via Zoom video conferencing platform. You will be sent information with instructions for logging in prior to the workshop.

All participants will be required to sign a Video Privacy Agreement prior to being admitted to the training. This agreement is included in the online registration.

Contact the host of Getting to Adherence in DBT Individual Therapy: Essential Strategies, Practical Tips, and Common Pitfalls