DBT Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide to Dialectical Behavior Therapy

by Sheri Van Dijk MSW

Overview

Originally developed for the treatment of borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, has rapidly become one of the most popular and most effective treatments for all mental health conditions rooted in out-of-control emotions. However, there are limited resources for psychologists seeking to use DBT skills with individual clients. In the tradition of ACT Made Simple, DBT Made Simple provides clinicians with everything they need to know to start using DBT in the therapy room.

The first part of this book briefly covers the theory and research behind DBT and explains how DBT differs from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy approaches. The second part focuses on strategies professionals can use in individual client sessions, while the third section teaches the four skills modules that form the backbone of DBT: core mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. The book includes handouts, case examples, and example therapist-client dialogue—everything clinicians need to equip their clients with these effective and life-changing skills.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608821648
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	01/02/2013
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	265,574
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Sheri Van Dijk, MSW, is a mental health therapist in private practice and at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, ON, Canada. She is the author of The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder, Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens, and Calming the Emotional Storm, and is coauthor of The Bipolar Workbook for Teens. In September 2010, she received the R.O. Jones Award from the Canadian Psychiatric Association for her research on using DBT skills to treat bipolar disorder.

Editorial Reviews

“DBT Made Simple is an incredibly useful book that distills key elements of DBT into a clear, concise, and practical guide. Illuminating clinical examples bring to life several DBT strategies and principles, and practitioners will appreciate the many useful forms and handouts provided in this book. I recommend this book to students and mental health professionals seeking a concise, practical introduction to DBT.”
—Alexander L. Chapman, PhD, RPsych, author of The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide and associate professor in the department of psychology at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

“Over the years, practitioners of dialectical behavior therapy have been searching for different training resources to deliver DBT in the therapy room in an effective way. Van Dijk’s book provides a fantastic contribution to DBT literature for one main reason: her approach to DBT is hands-on. DBT Made Simple is full of clinical applications, illustrative examples, sample dialogues, and troubleshooting tips. Her style is both engaging and straightforward, making of this book an easy and digestible resource for all clinicians, novice or advanced, who are interested in making a difference in their DBT clinical work.”
—Patricia E. Zurita Ona, PsyD, psychologist at East Bay Behavior Therapy Center and coauthor of Mind and Emotions

“Sheri Van Dijk has done it again! Her latest work teaches therapists how to use DBT with a wide variety of clients. She has accomplished an amazing feat—making DBT easy to understand without sacrificing its enormous depth. This is the book therapists have been waiting for."
—Paula Fuchs, PsyD, assistant clinical professor of psychology in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

“DBT Made Simple provides a well-organized, encouraging model to treat individuals with emotional dysregulation. This book is an excellent resource for therapists wishing to use DBT. It explains the theory of DBT and provides a clear, concise, user-friendly approach for therapists to learn, as well as teach, DBT skills.”
—Linda Jeffery, RN, cognitive behavioral therapist with a private practice in Newmarket, ON, Canada

“What a wonderful guide to dialectical behavior therapy for therapists, both on a personal level, as well as on a client level. Sheri Van Dijk’s book gives precise, clear direction for understanding and using DBT.”
—Kathy Christie, BA, ADR, mental health case manager

“This book is a must-have for therapists interested in developing an understanding of DBT and how they can incorporate aspects of this treatment with a broader client population. Van Dijk provides a clear and concise foundation of DBT theory, complete with helpful strategies and handouts for each of the DBT skills. The book also provides practitioners with the flexibility to choose components of the DBT skills that would help meet their respective clients’ needs.”
—Diane Petrofski, MSW, RSW, Family Health Team

“As the demand for dialectical behavior therapy increases from our clients, practitioners need to be more informed about its dynamic process and targets. This book provides both the novice and the well-informed clinician with an uncomplicated review of DBT. A must-have for any therapist, whether they are practicing DBT, or referring to others for this type of therapy.”
—Leanne Garfinkel, MA in clinical psychology and DBT-informed therapist

From the Publisher