Coping and Regulating Emotions: A Pilot Study of a Modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy Group Delivered in a College Counseling Service

Abstract

The findings indicate promise for short-term treatment of college students with BPD. Implications and limitations are discussed, with emphasis on replication with a control group.

The effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a dialectical behaviour therapy skills training group in reducing burnout and psychological distress in psychology trainees: A pilot study

“…This is not surprising as DBT is a therapy which was developed as a treatment for people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and is usually at least a year in duration. However, a core component of DBT is DBT skills training, which has been evaluated as a stand-alone treatment, and preliminary evidence has been found for its effectiveness with people with BPD or emotion regulation difficulties in both long (20+ weeks) and short (8 week) formats (e.g., Blackford & Love, 2011;Meaney-Tavares & Hasking, 2013). Preliminary evidence has also been found for the use of DBT skills training groups in populations with substance use disorders, eating disorders, depression in the elderly (see Chapman, 2006), and distress in newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer (Anderson, Jensik, Pelozo, & Walker, 2013).…”

“…All the skills from the manual were covered, and all the handouts from the manual were given out and discussed. While it is suggested that the group be run over about 20 sessions, shorter groups of eight sessions have been piloted and have been found to be effective in higher functioning client groups (e.g., Anderson et al, 2013;Meaney-Tavares & Hasking, 2013). The intervention consisted of eight sessions that lasted 2 hours each, including a mid-session 15 minute break.…”

Adapting Dialectical Behavior Therapy for College Counseling Centers

“…Pistorello et al conducted assessments measuring depression, suicidality, NSSI, BPD criteria, social adjustment, and use of psychiatric medication at pretreatment, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months (posttreatment), and 18 months (follow‐up) and found that the DBT condition yielded significant results across all measured domains in comparison with the O‐TAU condition. Meaney‐Tavares and Hasking () developed an 8‐week skills training group based on DBT that was implemented successfully in an Australian college counseling center with students who met criteria for BPD. These authors found significant decreases on measures of depression and BPD symptoms as well as significant increases in adaptive coping skills.…”

Treating Suicidality in College Counseling Centers: A Response to Polychronis

“…The creation of a DBT specialty track could help contain the number of students who are treated at any one time and could help CCCs justify providing more sessions for students in that track. Some campuses have also provided DBT coping skills groups as an adjunct to various forms of individual therapy with promising preliminary findings (e.g., Chugani, 2015; Meaney-Tavares & Hasking, 2013; Pistorello et al, 2013); however, there are no RCTs utilizing DBT skills groups as a stand-alone treatment for suicidal or multiproblem college students.…”