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About this training
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is most effective when interventions are selected intentionally and matched to the treatment target, rather than used as a general set of coping tools. This 6.5-hour continuing education training focuses on how DBT intervenes in ongoing clinical work through skills coaching, behavioral strategies, and change procedures that build momentum between sessions. Through structured instruction, demonstration, and applied clinical examples, participants learn how to select and teach skills based on functional assessment and target priorities, how to troubleshoot common barriers to follow-through, and how to adapt DBT strategies to client capacity, avoidance, ambivalence, people-pleasing, emotional shutdown, and difficulty identifying emotions.
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The training emphasizes integrating DBT interventions into existing clinical practice without turning therapy into a skills class or losing relational depth. Participants learn how to maintain a dialectical balance between acceptance and change while staying within DBT-informed scope and avoiding therapist drift (rescuing, over-validating, rigidity, or avoidance of targets, etc.). Part 3 functions as a standalone training and also completes the series by translating Parts 1 and 2 into practical, target-matched intervention choices in real sessions.
Schedule
Friday, July 31, 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 to choose interventions that match the target
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Want to increase between-session follow-through
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Want to notice and correct therapist drift (over-validating, rescuing, rigidity, avoiding targets)
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 skills curriculum walkthrough (module-by-module) rather than target-matched clinical application
Part 3: How DBT Intervenes
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. Part 3 completes the series by teaching how DBT intervenes and how to select skills and behavioral strategies that match the target and create momentum between sessions. Rather than providing a module-by-module skills curriculum or comprehensive DBT protocols, this training centers on target-matched intervention planning, skills coaching that fits client capacity, and troubleshooting barriers to follow-through. Part 3 emphasizes maintaining a dialectical balance between acceptance and change while avoiding therapist drift (such as rescuing, over-validating, rigidity, or avoiding targets).
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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 confidence and practical intervention tools. It supports clinicians in translating assessment and targets into concrete in-session interventions, strengthening between-session practice, and applying DBT strategies in ongoing clinical work without turning therapy into a skills class or losing relational depth. Part 3 can function as a standalone training and is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing clinical practice.
Registration
Early Bird by July 1, 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.​
This training emphasizes intervention selection, skills coaching, and troubleshooting barriers to follow-through.
After Part 3, you'll be able to:
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Identify interventions that match the target and function.
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Coach skills in-session in a brief, clinically integrated way.
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Choose acceptance vs change strategies based on what’s happening in the moment.
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Plan between-session practice that is specific, trackable, and target-linked.
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Troubleshoot follow-through barriers using DBT behavioral strategies.
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Observe and correct therapist drift that interferes with treatment progress.
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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Select DBT-informed interventions that match the current treatment target and the function of the behavior.
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Choose an appropriate DBT skills focus based on the identified reinforcing variables.
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Deliver brief in-session skills coaching in a way that fits client capacity.
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Apply one DBT change strategy to increase momentum between sessions.
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Design a between-session practice that is target-linked, realistic, and trackable, and troubleshoot common barriers to follow-through.
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Distinguish when to use acceptance-based strategies versus change-based strategies and apply dialectical balance in intervention delivery.
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Identify one therapist-interfering pattern (rescuing, over-validating, rigidity, avoidance of targets, etc.) and apply a consultation-informed prompt to course-correct.
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Demonstrate one skill-teaching appropriate for outpatient DBT-informed care.
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
