DBT Intensive for Adolescents and Families
Comprehensive DBT Training for Mental Health Systems and Clinical Teams who work with Adolescents and Families
About the course
Start date
Coming soonTime
12 Month ProgramWho this course is for
For Clinical TeamsAdolescent services across hospitals and treatment networks are under increasing pressure to respond effectively to emotion dysregulation, self-harm, suicidality, anxiety, depression, and chronic family conflict. Health systems and youth-focused programs require interventions that are evidence-based, structured, and sustainable.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) remains the gold-standard treatment for these high-risk presentations.
DBT Intensive for Adolescents and Families provides a complete implementation pathway for clinical teams operating in hospitals, community mental health services, residential programs, and youth treatment facilities seeking high-fidelity adolescent DBT delivery. The program was developed with strict adherence to the DBT Model by the original treatment developer of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Marsha Linehan, alongside Alec Miller and Jill Rathus, the developers of the adolescent and family adaptation.
Exclusively available on Psychwire, this intensive program for established clinical teams combines step-by-step foundational training with 12 months of expert consultation. The result is a clear, supported pathway for teams to build, implement, and sustain comprehensive adolescent DBT programs as originally designed.
This is a structured implementation framework built for real-world clinical systems; it’s not a webinar or stand alone workshop. It is a dedicated youth pathway, which is distinctly different from the adult-focused DBT Intensive available on Psychwire.
What makes this program different
This program is globally unique in its pedagogy and structure. While other DBT training organizations exist, they do not provide this specific comprehensive 12-month team training for adolescents. DBT Intensive for Adolescents and Families is the only training that integrates:
14-part structured curriculum
12 months of structured live expert team consultation
Includes DBT adolescent skills e-books
Together, these components ensure teams do not simply learn DBT theory. They implement it with integrity, consistency, and sustained clinical support, reducing the risk of model drift.
Interested in this program? Register your interest today and receive an exclusive discount when DBT Intensive for Adolescents and Families launches
Coming soon
DBT Intensive for Adolescents and Families
Coming soon
Register your interest to receive an exclusive discount when this course launches
Program Overview
On-demand, exclusively available on Psychwire, Foundational DBT for Adolescents and Families delivers structured, practical instruction directly from adolescent DBT treatment developers Alec Miller and Jill Rathus, with teaching designed for immediate clinical translation.
Alec Miller and Jill Rathus provide structured guidance on:
Identifying appropriate adolescent populations Applying Biosocial Theory to emotion dysregulation
Structuring adolescent DBT programs within active service systems Engaging teens and families, including the adolescent-specific
Walking the Middle Path module Implementing suicide prevention and risk management protocols Building and sustaining effective consultation teams to support fidelity and reduce burnout
Teams learn the model as it is intended to be delivered, with clarity about priorities, sequencing, and implementation decisions in busy service environments.
The course includes detailed clinical demonstrations across all six adolescent DBT modes:
Individual therapy Family therapy
Skills training Parent sessions
Inter-session coaching
Consultation team meetings
Each demonstration is de-briefed by the developers, explaining therapist language, strategic decision-making, and intervention rationale. Clinicians see not only what to do, but how and why it works with real adolescent presentations, including suicidality, self-harm, and high-conflict family dynamics.
Part B: 12-Month DBT Expert Consultation for Teams
High-fidelity DBT requires ongoing consultation. This structured consultation transforms training into sustainable implementation and supports teams in maintaining adherence under real-world clinical pressure.
Each participating team receives:
20 live consultation sessions delivered across 12 months
Led by experienced DBT consultants specializing in adolescent and family treatment
Consultation focuses on:
Strengthening model adherence and treatment integrity
Refining behavioral case conceptualization
Managing complex and high-risk cases
Developing strong consultation team processes
Embedding DBT sustainably within your service infrastructure
This process develops a cohesive, high-functioning DBT team while reducing burnout and increasing consistency across clinicians and settings.
Linehan DBT Certification
This intensive program provides mental health practitioners with an important step toward becoming certified in Linehan DBT. Learn more about Linehan DBT Certification here.
Why hospitals and youth treatment programs choose this program
For hospitals and integrated care systems, this intensive program supports safer, more consistent responses to high-risk youth presentations, and strengthens the infrastructure required to deliver evidence-based care at scale.
For smaller youth-focused facilities, it provides a structured, supported pathway to implement adolescent DBT with fidelity, without navigating implementation alone.
Unlike standalone DBT workshops or general trainings, DBT Intensive for Adolescents and Families provides:
Adolescent-specific DBT training only available on Psychwire
Developed by Marsha Linehan with Alec Miller and Jill Rather
A dual-pedagogy structure not offered by other programs
Foundational training delivered via a comprehensive on-demand course
Step-by-step implementation guidance
De-briefed therapy demonstrations
12 months of structured expert team consultation
Frequently asked questions