Team Formation Meetings and Expert Consultation

• How will I be placed on a DBT consultation team? The Intensive Plus pathway allows individuals without an existing DBT consultation team to participate in  DBT Comprehensive training by matching them into a team with others who need a team. Teams are formed when we match participants to the day and time that is most convenient for them to meet for the weekly team meetings and DBT expert consultations.  This is dependent on the total number of participants enrolled in the Intensive Plus pathway, and their availability and timezone, along with our DBT expert trainers availability. We will contact you directly regarding your availability and preference for meeting times. Your start date is not confirmed until we’ve placed you in an online team.

• Who will be on my team? Your team will consist of others like you who are interested in becoming part of a DBT team. Your team composition may include members from all over the world.

• Can I change teams? Please contact Psychwire directly to enquire about changing teams or if you need additional support about your participation in the Intensive Plus pathway. Email: support@psychwire.com

• When will my DBT consultation team meet? When you apply for the Intensive Plus pathway, you will be able to select your program start date and nearest timezone. Your meeting date and time will be confirmed once you are accepted into the program. 

• How do the sessions work? You, your team & your DBT expert consultant will meet for 2 hours for the first introductory session and for a series of 60-90 minute team formation consultations throughout the following 12 weeks. You will work with a designated DBT expert who will guide you through the sessions and ensure you are set up to continue meeting weekly with your online team. After the completion of these Team Formation sessions, you will meet with your team for 1 hour per week online. You will need to plan ahead for a heavier workload in these weeks and it is a program completion requirement that you attend all sessions.

Your DBT expert will join your team meetings on average every two weeks during the consultation period of your training pathway.

After the Foundational phase, consultations continue to support your clinical practice and program development. Scheduling is flexible, allowing your team to balance these meetings alongside your clinical caseload.

Yes! Weekly team meetings are an essential component of DBT treatment and you are expected to attend these meetings during your course program, and continue meeting after the program finishes. You can refer to Marsha Linehan’s Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder for a description of the important functions that the team serves in DBT treatment. 

During consultation, you are paired with a DBT expert to discuss your clinical, team and program goals, as well as the challenges you face. The DBT expert is a consultant who provides guidance and recommendations to you and your team. Consultation sessions follow the same basic structure as DBT treatment sessions: the DBT expert collaboratively works with you and your team to set an agenda and prioritize targets.

Next, consultation questions related to the targets are developed and clarified. You will collaborate with your DBT expert, using assessment strategies to gain a clear picture of the clinical, team, or programmatic issue(s). A dialectical approach is then used to determine and implement solutions. Both acceptance and change-based strategies are used to engage all team members in active problem-solving.