Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Self-Injurious and Suicidal Behaviors: From Assessment to Intervention

Few behaviors bring more harm to clients and stress to therapists as self-harm and chronic suicidality.  Fortunately there are best practices and proven interventions to manage risk and assist clients with their safety.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was originally designed for and researched with borderline personality disorder, a diagnosis characterized in part by self-harm and ongoing suicidal behaviors.  As such, DBT is uniquely helpful for managing these serious issues.

Join Dr. Lane Pederson for a can’t-miss training on addressing safety and developing comprehensive safety plans.

• List the five essential best practices of suicide assessment

• Know the important differences between self-harm and suicidal behaviors

• Describe the key components of a comprehensive safety plan

• Develop clarity about what constitutes a true commitment to safety

• Determine when to use, and when not to use, the hospital 

1. Defining Self-Injurious and Suicidal Behavior

   1. Assess and Manage Self-Injurious Behavior (SIB) 

1. When is SIB life-threatening and other dilemmas

2. Creating alternatives

2. Assess and Manage Suicidal Ideation (SI) 

   1. Suicide assessment techniques 

   2. Establishing safety protocols 

   3. Safety plans and safety commitments

3. Hospitalization Issues 

   1. Effective use of the hospital 

   2. Transitions in and out