Dialectical Behavior Therapy For Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

This course, offered through the Centre for MindBody Health over a four-week period, provides a comprehensive examination of DBT-PTSD based on a psycho-social model.

Dysfunctional behaviors are understood as strategies to avoid or escape from trauma-associated primary emotions like powerlessness, threat, anxiety, disgust, humiliation, or sexual arousal.

The model proposes that these emotions are corroborated by dysfunctional cognitive assumptions and dysfunctional behaviors such as self-injury, suicidal ideation, dissociation or intoxication.

It further proposes that problematic secondary emotions such as shame, guilt, self-hatred, or chronic anger develop over time into problematic self-concepts which impair quality of life.

DBT-PTSD primarily aims to help patients: a. Revise their fear of trauma-associated primary emotions, b. Question whether secondary emotions like guilt and shame fit the facts, and c. 

Radically accept the fact of trauma in their lives to establish a life worth living. The treatment program is designed to be delivered in a residential program (three-months) or in an outpatient setting (45 weeks).

This course provides comprehensive training in DBT-PTSD including a manual. The course also fulfills the prerequisite for enrolling in the Advanced DBT for Complex PTSD course that is offered alongside the foundational training course.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this training, you’ll be able to:

• Describe the basic psycho-social and neuro-behavioral principles of complex PTSD
• Implement the principles of DBT-PTSD within your clinical practice
• Develop an individualized trauma model
• Teach your client skills for dissociation, distress tolerance, and regulation of trauma-related emotions
• Conduct in-sensu exposure
• Help your clients create a life worth living