Join us for an online introduction to Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) workshop. This session on February 22 will focus on working with adolescent populations.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will develop a deeper understanding of Dialectical Behavior Therapy theory and practice. This training will provide exposure to the history of DBT, the philosophical traditions it is grounded in and the structure of delivering the DBT treatment. Training objectives include providing an understanding of DBT principles, components of the therapy, DBT skills training (mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance & emotion regulation), change strategies, acceptance strategies, dialectical strategies, commitment strategies and behaviorism. The training will assist participants in conceptualizing cases through a DBT framework and implementing DBT strategies into practice.

TOPICS
- The development of DBT and its theoretical framework
- Dialectics
- Change Strategies
- Acceptance Strategies
- Modes of Treatment
- The structure of DBT including stages of treatment, the layout of individual sessions, an overview of consultation team meetings and the types of DBT skills taught in groups.
- The use of diary cards and chain analysis
- Treatment targets and hierarchy
- Dialectical Dilemmas
- Recent DBT developments and future directions

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Register online for this workshop. Please be sure you have the latest version of Zoom.

This training is hosted by the Vermont Cooperative for Practice Improvement & Innovation with support from the Department of Mental Health. CEUs will be avaliable for Allied Mental Health (OPR) as well as Psychology and Social Work.

TRAINERS
Megan Johnson Dunston, MS, LCMHC, is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, adjunct faculty member at the University of Vermont and co-founder of Meridian DBT Psychotherapy, PLC, a private practice that provides research-based outpatient psychotherapy services, including DBT coping skills groups, individual therapy, and consultation and supervision services. From 2006 until 2017, Megan was a clinician in the Crossroads program treatment team, providing partial hospital, intensive outpatient and outpatient services to adults using the Dialectical Behavior Therapy modality. In this capacity, she also served as the clinical site supervisor for master’s level interns. In addition to clinical work, Megan has led workshops for staff at Matrix Health Systems, the Howard Center, and the Northeastern Family Institute, as well as trainings for PESI, focusing on aspects of DBT (dialectics, contingency management, self-harm behavior, etc). Other areas of clinical interest pertain to conflict resolution, body image, self-efficacy beliefs, grief, parenting/pregnancy issues, intimate partner abuse and aging.

Kristina Syverson, MS, LCMHC is a licensed clinical mental health counselor specializing in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to provide outpatient treatment to adults and groups, particularly those experiencing borderline personality disorder, complex trauma, and treatment-resistant depression. Additionally, she currently serves as the consultant for the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Intensive Supervision & Consultation pilot project, initiated by the Department of Mental Health and facilitated by Vermont Cooperative for Practice Improvement & Innovation (VCPI). She earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Vermont (2017) and subsequently trained as an intern at the Crossroads Intensive Outpatient Program. Following her internship, Kristina was hired as a clinical mental health therapist for Crossroads before launching her private practice as part of the Meridian DBT & Psychotherapy Services group in 2018, where she continues to practice and actively participate in the comprehensive DBT treatment team.