DBT for Substance Use Disorders
Training at a Glance
Who This Course is For - For clinicians with prior DBT training implementing DBT-SUD
Dates for This Training - September 15โ16, 2026
Early Bird Rate = $475 — ends August 1, 2026ย |ย Regular Price - $525
Course Specifics - LiveRemoteInstructor-Led
Upcoming Dates
Pricing
Trainers
Christine Dunkley, DClinP
Christine Dunkley, DClinP, is a consultant trainer with the British Isles DBT Training team and honorary lecturer on the Post Graduate Diploma in DBT at Bangor University. She has a doctorate in Clinical Practice from the school of health sciences at the University of Southampton, and an honours degree and certificate of qualification in Social work. She began working as a medical social worker in 1982 and a psychological therapist in 1994. She is an accredited therapist and supervisor with the Society for DBT (UK and Ireland) and a senior accredited practitioner with BACP. She is a Fellow and Vice President of SfDBT. Christine trained in DBT in 2001 and had supervision with Heidi Heard who worked on the original trials with Marsha Linehan. She is trained to calibration in the University of Washington DBT adherence rating scale. She worked in the Winchester DBT team and specialised in seeing the patients who were at the point of being referred into expensive out-of-area placements because of more severe difficulties than could be handled in routine care. She and the team received an award from the Trust for their work on this service. She trained and supervised clinicians on the 5-year Implementation of DBT in Ireland, and was a consultant on the pilot site for a large NHS RCT in RO-DBT. Christine started offering training in DBT internally at Southern Health NHS Trust where she was employed. She joined the British Isles DBT training team in 2006, eventually rising to Consultant trainer.ย She has trained on 48 intensives, 26 Foundation courses, and over 200 workshops, making her the most prolific trainer in the British Isles DBT training team, and one of the most experienced trainers worldwide.ย She has given an exemplar lecture at the annual DBT trainers meeting in Seattle, and taught on the Linehan Institute induction program for new international trainers. Since writing her books on Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation she has also been in demand as a speaker all over the world, in person and online.
As a very experienced trainer she has consulted on difficult cases in every setting imaginable, from prisons, to perinatal units, and from specialist PD services to community treatment teams, with both adolescent and adult clients. She is well recognised for her expertise. She was the first chair of the Society for DBT (UK and Ireland) and awarded a fellowship for her services in 2016. She has written over 20 publications including 3 books, and 3 chapters in the Handbook of DBT edited by Michaela Swales. Her article based on her research into Hearing the Suicidal Patientโs Emotional Pain topped the โmost readโ chart in Crisis journal for over a year. Her co-authored paper with Michaela Swales on Skills Assessment in DBT was given an honorary mention in the 2021 Psyche awards.
Heidi Heard, PhD
Heidi Heard, PhD
Heidi L. Heard, PhD, is the co-author of Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Distinctive Features and Changing Behavior: Key Principles and Common Problems in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. As a doctoral student with Marsha Linehan, she contributed to the initial outcome trials on DBT for suicidal and substance abusing behaviors. After completing an internship at McLean Hospital, she worked at the University of Wales in Great Britain and founded British Isles DBT Training, which trains clinicians in a wide variety of settings throughout Britain and Ireland. Since returning to the United States, Dr. Heard has divided her time between providing DBT program and case consultation and working as a Senior Trainer for Behavioral Tech in Europe and the United States. She is also a clinical instructor at the University of Washington. Dr. Heard received the Cindy Sanderson Outstanding Educator Award from ISITDBT for her work as a trainer and training team developer.
Upcoming Dates
Pricing
Trainers
Alan Fruzzetti, PhD
Alan E. Fruzzetti, PhD is Director of the Boys Residential DBT Program and Director of Training in Family Services for 3East programs at McLean Hospital. He received his BA from Brown University and MS & PhD from the University of Washington in Seattle, where he worked under Dr. Linehanโs direct clinical supervision. Alan has adapted and implemented Dialectical Behavior Therapy for multiple underserved populations and developed many successful DBT programs for people with BPD, other problems with emotion regulation, and programs for couples, parents, and families. His research focuses on the connections between severe psychopathology and interpersonal/family processes, and their interplay with emotion dysregulation. Dr. Fruzzetti is on the Board of Directors of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, the International Society for DBT, and the Linehan Institute. He has authored more than 100 research and clinical papers and book chapters, and has lectured and trained professionals and the public in more than twenty countries in BPD, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and/or in family interventions. Alan is the co-creator of the NEA-BPD Family Connections program, for parents, partners, and other loved ones of people with BPD and related problems. He has received many honors for research and for community service, and is married with four children.
More About This Training
- Full Training Description
- Learning Objectives
- Prerequisites
- CE/CME Information
- Study Resources
- Technical Requirements
Purpose: This training addresses enhancements to standard DBT designed to fill the gaps in practice between the treatment and service needs of people with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.
Content: This course provides in-depth training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for individuals with substance use disorders (DBT-SUD). Orienting to what DBT-SUD is and how it differs from standard DBT will be addressed. The DBT-SUD treatment model, targets, and strategies are taught. The training will review how to teach skills specific to DBT-SUD
Length & Schedule: This course consists of 8 modules for a total of 12 instructor-led hours. Each module includes reading and homework tasks. Total participant time required for each module is approximately 2.5-3 hours
For Whom: The course is intended for those who have prior knowledge of DBT, and who want to learn how to implement a DBT-SUD
program. Participants should have either completed Dialectical Behavior Therapy Foundational Training, Dialectical Behavior Therapy Intensive Training, or an equivalent alternative training before participating in this training.
Core Training Description
Individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental disorders (i.e., co-occurring disorders or CODs) are in great need for effective treatment. SAMHSA (2020, p. ix) states, โPeople with SUDs are more likely than those without SUDs to have co-occurring mental disorders. Addiction counselors encounter clients with CODs as a rule, not an exception.โ SAMHSA (2020, p. ix) goes on to state, โSerious gaps exist between the treatment and service needs of people with CODs and the actual care they receive. Many factors contribute to the gap, such as lack of awareness about and training in CODs by addiction counselors, as well as workforce factors like labor shortages and professional burnout.โ
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for individuals with substance use disorders (DBT-SUD) has a growing evidence base as an efficacious treatment and can serve to fill the gaps in training in the treatment of individuals with CODs. It is a treatment that explicitly targets reducing provider burnout. DBT-SUD involves a set of strategies that can readily be learned by trained DBT providers. Further, DBT-SUD can be incorporated into existing SUD treatment structures and systems.
This course provides in-depth training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for individuals with substance use disorders (DBT-SUD).
Orienting to what DBT-SUD is and how it differs from standard DBT will be addressed. The DBT-SUD treatment model, targets, and strategies are taught. The training will review how to teach skills specific to DBT-SUD. Additionally, the course will review how to apply standard DBT strategies including skills training, chain analysis and stylistic strategies to substance use behaviors. Clinical examples are used to illustrate procedures. Participants will learn key teaching points for the DBT-SUD skills. Video and demonstrations of interventions are incorporated.
Primary Objective:
As a result of this course participants will be able to implement adaptations of DBT for substance use disorders.
Learning Objectives
- Identify strategies that are used in both standard DBT and DBT-SUD.
- ย Describe research evaluating DBT-SUD.
- ย Identify the necessary components for a DBT-SUD program that are unique from standard DBT.
- ย Apply decision-making tools on when to implement a DBT-SUD program.
- . Assess how substance abuse behavior serves the function of solving a client’s problems.
- ย Identify some common physiological and behavioral responses of using a variety of substances.
- Identify effective strategies for assessing co-occurring substance use and other disorders of emotion regulation.
- ย Describe dialectical abstinence.
- Describe the abstinence violation effect.
- Identify key strategies in pre-treatment in DBT-SUD.
- Target substance use behaviors during DBT-SUD.
- ย Describe the steps in the path to clear mind.
- ย List the attachment strategies utilized in DBT-SUD.
- Describe how ancillary treatments may be utilized in DBT-SUD.
- Describe how drug screening may be utilized in DBT-SUD.
- Describe the DBT skills for when the crisis is addiction.
- ย Describe the special considerations for how to effectively teach the standard DBT skills to clients in DBT-SUD.
- ย Apply DBT chain analysis and solution analysis strategies and to substance use behaviors.
- ย Describe the use of stylistic strategies in the context of DBT-SUD.
- ย Use stylistic strategies such as irreverence.
- ย Describe how to treat therapy interfering behaviors in the context of DBT-SUD.
- Treat therapy interfering behaviors, including lying, in the context of DBT-SUD.
Participants are expected to have completed comprehensive DBT training, be currently engaged in the provision of DBT services, and want to learn how to implement a DBT-SUD program. As such, the training builds on an expectation that participants are well-versed in the content of standard DBT. Specifically, participants should complete Dialectical Behavior Therapy Foundational Training, Dialectical Behavior Therapy Intensive Training, or an equivalent alternative training before participating in this training. before participating in this
training.
Participants should also have read Dr. Marsha Linehanโs Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder and DBT Skills Training Manual, Second Edition.
Participants are also required to read the chapter, “Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder and Substance Dependence”, in the book Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Clinical Practice: Applications Across Disorders and Settings (2019).
Preparation & Training Requirements
Participants should plan to complete the readings and homework assignments for each module of the course at the time that the module is presented.
This offering meets the requirements for the following hours by discipline. Licensing and continuing education requirements vary by state. Please contact your state’s regulatory authority to verify if this course meets your licensing or continuing education requirements. Inquiries regarding CE for other disciplines not listed may be directed to Behavioral Tech at (206) 675-8589 or via email to support@behavioraltech.org. And for general CE questions, you can review answers to continuing education FAQs or contact us.
CE NOTE: Behavioral Tech calculates the continuing education credits for this training by the start time and end time. 100 percent attendance is required, as is signing IN and OUT each morning and afternoon, to receive CE credits. Only participants with 100% attendance, and who have completed the Post-Event Evaluation and passed their Final Exam with a score of 75% or higher will receive credit. Behavioral Tech cannot offer partial credit. Please remember to sign in and sign out each day to document your attendance. Continuing Education documentation will be emailed to you 4-6 weeks after the last day of training.
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors
Behavioral Tech is approved by NAADAC โ the Association for Addiction Professionals, Provider #77431. You will receive a letter via email documenting your attendance upon successful completion of the activity. The allotted contact hours for this activity = 12.
Mental Health Counselors
Behavioral Tech is approved by an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEPโข) and may offer NBCC-approved clock hours for events that meet NBCC requirements. The ACEP solely is responsible for all aspects of the program.
Behavioral Tech will email you a letter documenting your attendance upon the successful completion of the activity. The allocated clock hours for this activity = 12.
Nurses
Behavioral Tech is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Continuing Medical Education is accepted by the ANCC for nursing certification renewal. The maximum AMA PRA Category 1 Creditsโข designated by Behavioral Tech for this activity = 12
Psychiatrists
Behavioral Tech is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. The maximum AMA PRA Category 1 Creditsโข designated by Behavioral Tech for this activity = 12.
Psychologists
Behavioral Tech is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Behavioral Tech maintains responsibility for the program and its content. Behavioral Tech will email you a letter documenting your attendance after the successful completion of the program and homework. The number of hours Behavioral Tech has allocated for this activity = 12.
Psychologists โ New York
Behavioral Tech is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists, #PSY-0063. Behavioral Tech will email a certificate of attendance upon 100% completion of this activity. The total contact hour allocated for this activity = 12.
Social Workers- Washington
Behavioral Tech will apply to the NASW, Washington State Chapter, Provider Number 1975-166, to offer continuing education for Certified Social Workers. Behavioral Tech will email a certificate of attendance upon 100% completion of this activity. The hours of CE allocated for this activity = 12.
Social Workers – New York
Behavioral Tech is approved by recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers, #0040. Behavioral Tech will email a letter documenting attendance to participants with 100% completion of the program and homework. The hours allocated for this activity = 12.
General CE/CME Disclosures and Policies
Conflict of interest definition: A conflict of interest may be considered to exist if a continuing education course faculty is affiliated with, or has any significant financial interest, in any organization(s) that may have a direct interest in the subject matter of the presentation or may be co-sponsoring or offering financial support to the course. Situations involving a potential conflict of interest are not inherently bad or wrong, but in accordance with standards for continuing medical education we would like you to be aware of the affiliation/financial interest of your instructors.
Faculty Disclaimer: When an unlabelled use of a commercial product, or an investigative use not yet approved for any purpose is discussed during an educational activity, we shall require the speaker to disclose that the product is not labeled for the use under discussion or that the product is still investigative.
Notice of requirements for successful completion: For all trainings (both in-person and remote), participants must attend 100% of the training and complete the Final Evaluation to receive a certificate of successful completion. This includes signing in and out each day/session of the event. For remote, Instructor-led online training, participants have to pass the Post Assessment(s) with a score of 75% or higher.
Commercial support or sponsorship: There is no commercial company support for this CME/CE event.
Noncommercial Sponsor Support: There is no noncommercial sponsor support for this CME/CE activity.
Non-Endorsement of Products: The Behavioral Tech approval status refers only to continuing education activities and does not imply that there is real or implied endorsement of any product, service, or company referred to in this activity nor of any company subsidizing costs related to the activity.
Off-Label Product Use: This CME/CE activity does not include any unannounced information about off-label use of a product for a purpose other than that for which it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships: Faculty members are required to disclose all conflicts of interest and any relevant financial relationships that may affect the training content. Unless specified on Behavioral Techโs website or on other printed materials/media, none of the individuals in a position to control the content of this CE/CME activity (including planners, editors, CE/CME Review Committee members, faculty presenters, moderators/facilitators, reviewers, etc.) have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
CE Reprint Policy: For missing/lost CE documentation, an administrative fee of $50 is required for all CE/CME activities after 2017. For CE reprints prior to 2017, please refer to the website or contact support@behavioraltech.org. Please refer to the CE FAQ webpage: https://behavioraltech.org/resources/faqs/continuing-education/.
Reading for DBT for Substance Use Disorders*
- McMain, S., Dimeff, L. A., Sayrs, J., Linehan, M. M., & Koerner, K. (2021). Dialectical behavior therapy for individuals with BPD and substance dependence. In L. A. Dimeff & S. Rizvi (Eds.), Dialectical behavior therapy in clinical practice: Applications across disorders
and settings (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.
*Subject to change
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- A high-speed Internet Service Connection with a minimum speed of 5Mbps. Test your internet speed.ย
- The most recent version of any of the following web-browsers:ย Google Chrome, Firefox ,ย Safari ,ย Microsoft Edgeย (Please note Internet Explorer will not be supported)ย
- Web-browser configurations must have Javascript enabled and popup blockers disabled.
- The following software applications: Zoom, Microsoftย Word, Microsoft Excel, A PDF readerย such asย Adobe Acrobat Reader, or the ability to view PDFs in a web-browser. To test your internet connection, camera, and microphone for Zoom, you can use Zoom’s testing application.
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- SurveyMonkey:ย https://www.surveymonkey.com/
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