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About this training
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is defined by how it prioritizes treatment targets and organizes clinical decisions, not only by the skills it teaches. This 6.5-hour continuing education training focuses on how DBT decides what to address in session and between sessions so treatment does not drift into unstructured content or supportive work that lacks behavioral movement. Participants also learn how dialectical thinking functions as a decision-making tool, balancing validation and change, acceptance and problem-solving, so targeting stays effective without becoming invalidating. Through structured instruction and applied clinical examples, participants learn DBT’s target hierarchy (used flexibly), behavioral assessment methods (including chain analysis and missing links), and commitment strategies that increase client follow-through. Participants will also learn how to use and adapt a DBT-informed diary card to support clarity, accountability, and between-session change across varying levels of client capacity and acuity.
Schedule
Friday, May 15, 2026
9:00 am - 4:45 pm (6.5 hours of instruction)
Includes two 15-minute breaks and one 45-minute lunch (which do not count toward CE credit)
Who this training is for
Clinicians who:
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Want a reliable method for deciding what matters in session
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Want clarity on what to prioritize between sessions
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Want a structure that helps clients follow through and build momentum
May not be a fit if you:
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Are seeking certification-level comprehensive DBT training
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Need protocol-specific instruction for running a full DBT program
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Want a purely academic overview without case application
Part 2: How DBT Decides
Part 1 establishes the clinical foundation for the series by focusing on how DBT conceptualizes clients, behavior, therapist role, and treatment priorities. Part 2 builds on that foundation by teaching how DBT organizes assessment into clear targets and priorities. Rather than teaching comprehensive DBT protocols, this training centers on the decision-making structure that helps clinicians identify what matters most, select the next treatment step, and leave sessions with a clear between-session plan that fits the target. Part 2 also applies dialectical thinking to targeting decisions.
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This training is appropriate for clinicians who are not providing comprehensive DBT and want to practice DBT-informed care with greater structure and precision. It supports clinicians in making clearer target decisions, strengthening between-session work, and improving treatment direction while staying within scope and ethical practice guidelines. Part 2 functions as a standalone training and also prepares participants for Part 3, which focuses on applying DBT interventions and skill-based strategies that match the target.
This training emphasizes target selection, behavioral assessment, increasing between-session follow-through.
Registration
Early Bird by April 10, 2026
Students: $209, $199 (Zelle)
Standard: $259/$249 (Zelle)
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Regular Rate
Standard and Students: $309, $299 (Zelle)​
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Virtual DBT Case Consultation Group
Monthly clinical consultation for clinicians integrating DBT-informed care.​
After Part 2, you'll be able to:
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​Prioritize targets using DBT’s target hierarchy.
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Facilitate a behavior chain analysis to identify maintaining variables.
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Identify missing links that interfere with follow-through.
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Adapt a DBT-informed diary card to track targets and between-session change.
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Apply commitment strategies to strengthen engagement with between-session work.
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Integrate dialectical thinking to keep targeting balanced (validation + change; acceptance + problem-solving).
What's included:
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A curated Part 1 toolkit with DBT-informed worksheets and reference handouts
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Tools designed to support assessment, case formulation, and clinical decision-making
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Materials intended for clinical use within appropriate scope of practice
Course Learning Objectives:
After this training, participants will be able to:
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Use DBT’s target hierarchy to prioritize treatment targets in session.
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Conduct a brief behavioral assessment using behavior chain analysis to identify prompting events, vulnerabilities, and maintaining consequences.
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Identify common “missing links” (skill deficits, motivational barriers, environmental obstacles) that interfere with between-session follow-through.
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Develop a focused between-session plan that matches the identified target and is specific, measurable, and realistic.
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Implement one DBT commitment strategy to strengthen engagement with behavioral change tasks.
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Adapt a DBT-informed diary card to track targets, emotions/urges, and skills use, and adapt it to client capacity and acuity.
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Differentiate content-focused session drift from target-focused treatment direction and apply one structure strategy to re-orient the session.
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Apply dialectical thinking to select targets and interventions that balance acceptance and change.
Continuing Education (CE)
​Target Audience: LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, AMFTs, ACSWs, APCCs
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Making Sense of DBT, Part 1: Principles Structures and Strategies meets the qualifications for 6.5 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTS, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
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Making Sense of DBT, Part 2: Assessment, Targets and Behavioral Change meets the qualifications for 6.5 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTS, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
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Making Sense of DBT, Part 3: Matching Interventions to Targets meets the qualifications for 6.5 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTS, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
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AlignED Care Eating Disorder and Mental Health Center is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education activities for LMFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs. AlignED Care Eating Disorder and Mental Health Center maintains responsibility for the program/course and its content. CAMFT approval number 1032797.
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Participants will receive an email to complete an evaluation of presentations approximately 2 days following the completion of each training. Upon completion of the evaluations, CE certificates will be emailed to the email addressed listed on the evaluation within 1 week of completion of evaluation. Questions regarding this process may be directed to Robyn@Alignedcarecenter.com
