This program is sponsored by the Delaware Psychological Association (DPA) and co-sponsored by the psychology departments of the University of Delaware and Drexel University.
The program has been approved for six (6) CE credits. DPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor CE credits for psychologists and maintains responsibility for the program and its content.
Presenter: Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych.
Dr. Chapman is 
a Registered (licensed) Psychologist, an Associate Professor, and Coordinator of the Clinical Science area in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University, as well as the President of the DBT Centre of Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
About Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT was originally developed for highly suicidal women, and has since emerged as a well-established treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and related problems. DBT is a comprehensive cognitive-behaviorally oriented treatment that involves individual therapy, group skills training, availability of the therapist for between-session skills coaching, and a therapist consultation team.
About This Workshop: This workshop will involve (a) an overview of DBT in terms of theory, research, and practice, and (b) review, practice, and discussion of skills aimed at improving clients’ distress tolerance. Beyond those with BPD, clients with a variety of difficulties (personality disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, substance use problems, and eating disorders) often have one important thing in common - difficulty understanding, tolerating, and managing emotions. For this workshop, the focus will be on skills to help clients learn how to tolerate emotional distress and upsetting situations (past and present). Distress tolerance skills include strategies to survive crises and tolerate overwhelming situations without doing anything to make things worse, and include distraction, self-soothing, and acceptance, among other skills. Attention also will be paid to the application of the DBT model and skills across diverse clients including those with differing clinical characteristics, beliefs, cultures, and other individual differences.
Format & Learning Objectives The workshop will involve didactic presentation, video and/or audiotape demonstration, experiential exercises, and active participation and practice of new strategies and skills. Following this day of training, participants will be able to:
· Discuss the biosocial theory of BPD.
· Consider ways to apply dialectical theory in their practice with diverse populations.
· Discuss and summarize some of the research on DBT.
· Describe and summarize the distress tolerance skills taught in DBT.
· Describe and use at least one core distress tolerance skill to help clients survive crises.
· Begin to incorporate the skill of radical acceptance into their practice.
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