Description

This one-day virtual live workshop is intended for clinicians who are seeking advanced training in how to apply the DBT Prolonged Exposure protocol (DBT PE) for PTSD with high-risk and multi-problem adolescents. Participants will learn about some of the nuanced issues that arise in providing trauma treatment with this population as well as options for addressing common challenges. The workshop will begin with an overview of treatments and assessments for PTSD in youth, including a brief review of DBT PE and PE for adolescents. Participants will then learn about issues unique to using DBT PE with adolescents, including:

Assessing readiness for DBT PE (youth and family)
Involving families in DBT PE: getting consent, making trauma-related disclosures, orienting to treatment, and leveraging family to support the treatment
Addressing family therapy interfering behaviors
Issues to consider with risk and mandatory reporting
Environmental variables that impact treatment: schools, friends, and social media
Working with adolescents who aren’t ready or willing to treat PTSD

Learning Objectives

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

Describe ways to assess trauma symptoms and PTSD in youth.
Describe the evidence base supporting trauma treatments for youth.
Identify 3 issues to consider regarding consenting minors for DBT PE.
Explain different ways to leverage family support in DBT PE.
Understand risk and mandatory reporting issues that may arise in DBT PE.
Identify alternative options to PTSD treatment for Stage 2 work.

Who Should Attend

This advanced workshop is intended for mental health professionals who:

Have general training in working with minors, including basic consent procedures as well as some understanding of cognitive and emotional development through adolescence.
Have received DBT Intensive or Foundational training (or equivalent) and have basic knowledge about how to apply DBT with adolescents.
Have previously attended a 4-day Intensive Training in DBT PE (or equivalent).
Are using DBT PE with adolescents in their clinical practice, or plan to do so soon.
Agree to read the DBT PE manual prior to the training:
- Harned, M. S. (2022). Treating trauma in Dialectical Behavior Therapy: The DBT Prolonged Exposure protocol (DBT PE). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Trainer

Lorie Ritschel, PhD earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kansas, and she completed postdoctoral fellowships at Duke University Medical Center and Emory University School of Medicine. She is a co-founder of the Triangle Area Psychology Clinic (TAP), an outpatient clinic in Durham, NC that specializes in DBT and other empirically supported treatments for adolescents, adults, couples, and families. At TAP, Dr. Ritschel co-directs the clinical training program for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. In addition, she is a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, where she teaches empirically-supported treatments to residents and consults to the UNC TEACCH Autism Program. Dr. Ritschel is a certified DBT therapist through the DBT-LBC and is an expert trainer of DBT and the DBT Prolonged Exposure protocol. She provides training and consultation in CBT, DBT, PE, and Behavioral Activation as well as educational trainings in self-injury, suicide, borderline personality disorder, mood disorders, mindfulness, and hope. She is particularly passionate about working with emotionally dysregulated adolescents and their families.

Cost

Workshop Registration Fee (required):

Early Bird Discount: for registrations paid by June 30, 2026 - $375 per person
Standard Price: for registrations paid by September 17, 2026 - $425 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.

Continuing Education Credits (optional):

6 CE credits are being offered by Triangle Area Psychology clinic CE - $20 per person

This fee covers the cost of 6 Continuing Education credits that will be offered by Triangle Area Psychology clinic Continuing Education (TAP CE). CE credits must be registered and paid for separately via TAP CE here.

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.

Six (6) 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.

Contact the host of Using the DBT PE Protocol for PTSD with Adolescents