Training for DBT Therapists:

DBT WITH PARENTS, COUPLES & FAMILIES

Four-day online interactive training with Alan E. Fruzzetti, Ph.D.

Dates in 2024:

• June 10, 11, 24 & 25

• More dates will be announced soon

  • To be added to our waitlist please use the contact us button below

Training cost: US$750.00 per person for individual registration.

For groups of 3 or more people working on the same DBT team the cost is US$700.00 per person when registering as a team. Discount code details on the registration page and must be applied at time of registration. Please note that one person will need to register the team as a group, it is not possible to have people register separately and use the discount code; we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

You will receive confirmation soon following registration and the Zoom link will be sent to you the week of the training.

A limited number of reduced rate registrations are available for student trainees working on DBT teams. Contact us for details.

Attendance: This training is limited to the first 24 people who register.

Register: Please complete the registration form linked from the red buttons.

Training Description:

Severe individual and family distress typically includes a lot of dysregulated emotion, including anger, hurt feelings, sadness, embarrassment, and worry, and can include out-of-control behaviors (such as suicide attempts, drug and alcohol misuse, aggression, etc.). This can be difficult to treat even among family members without BPD or other significant problems with emotion regulation, and particularly difficult when individuals struggle with pervasive emotion dysregulation. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) has been shown in dozens of studies to be effective in treating the many problems associated with emotion dysregulation. Over the past 30 years Dr. Fruzzetti has adapted DBT for use with couples, parents, and families, with multiple studies demonstrating successful outcomes. In this training, Dr. Fruzzetti will teach and demonstrate: 1) individual DBT skills adapted for parents and partners; 2) specific family skills for parents and partners; 3) family interventions to reduce severe dysfunctional individual behavior of the type noted above; and 4) additional interventions to improve family relationships in general, and thus to help families become less reactive and destructive, more peaceful and more loving.

After a brief orientation to the DBT treatment model for couples, parents and families, lectures, role plays, and experiential exercises will be used to demonstrate how to: 1) build a treatment target hierarchy with families (including self-harm, aggression, substance use, angry outbursts, withdrawal, other relationship problems, etc.); 2) manage dysregulated and chaotic family members in order to conduct an effective session; 3) utilize traditional DBT skills and new DBT family skills with families; 4) apply chain analyses with two or more family members simultaneously (“double chains”), to expose dysfunctional steps when emotions and/or actions escalate out of control; 5) use principles and intervention strategies of DBT with families to make communication possible, to reduce dysfunction and help rebuild relationships; and 6) integrate both acceptance and change strategies (and skills) into solutions.

Examples will include all types of family constellations: teens and adults, couples, and parent-child relationships. You are welcome to bring your cases for consultation.

Learning Objectives:

Day 1:

1. Describe how emotion vulnerability and invalidation transact to create emotion dysregulation in families

2. Build a treatment target hierarchy relevant to parents and partners

3. Employ blocking in-session to de-escalate emotion dysregulation

4. Explain and us the “revolving door” door strategy

Day 2:

1. Teach parents and partners relationship mindfulness

2. Teach both accurate expression and validating responses to family members (and how they are connected)

3. Teach parents and partners how to reactivate their relationship

4. Help family members move away from anger and find and express more helpful primary emotions

Day 3:

1. Help parents and partners know when and how to observe limits

2. Teach and coach collaborative problem solving

3. Learn techniques for establishing safety in families

4. Identify situations in which eliminating or removing negative reinforcers are likely to increase safety

Day 4:

1. Conduct a “double chain” to understand how family transactions evolve and contribute to problem behaviors and to identify points of intervention

2. Utilize the double chain to weave in new skills as solutions

3. Help parents and partners use opposite action to fear (exposure) to reduce reactivity following a suicide attempt or serious self-harm in their loved one

4. Know how to evaluate couple, parent and family outcomes

CE Hours

Continuing education This program is sponsored by the Massachusetts Psychological Association. Massachusetts Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Massachusetts Psychological Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

This program has been approved for 22 Social Work Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. NASW-MA Chapter CE Approving Program, Authorization Number D 90033.