Dialectical Behavior Therapy in College Counseling Centers: Current Literature and Implications for Practice

Abstract

This article examines the topic of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) applied in college counseling centers. Trends in mental health issues on college campuses are briefly reviewed in support of the increased need for evidence-based treatment of severe mental health issues. The article next presents an overview of the standard DBT model and reviews research regarding DBT in college counseling centers, focusing on clinical outcomes and adaptations made for the college counseling setting. Finally, there is a discussion of implications for practice, barriers to implementation and outcome measurement, and areas for future research.There has been little research to date on the effectiveness of evidencebased treatments for severe and chronic mental health issues in the college counseling setting. In a survey of college counseling center directors, Gallagher (2013) found that 95% of directors reported concerns about students presenting with severe and complex mental health issues, including nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), crises requiring immediate intervention, eating disorders, psychiatric medication issues, and substance abuse. Lifetime prevalence rates for NSSI in college students is estimated to be between 11.

Applying Dialectical Behavior Therapy to Self‐Harm in College‐Age Men: A Case Study

“…DBT is an evidence‐based practice that is a relevant treatment for working with college students who self‐harm or engage in self‐destructive behaviors (Chugani, ). Specifically, using the acceptance skills of mindfulness and distress tolerance may serve as a treatment starting place for counselors working with clients engaging in self‐harm.…”

“…Furthermore, because counselors often overlook self-harming behaviors in male clients, it is essential that they become familiar with the manifestation of self-harm in men (Inckle, 2014). DBT is an evidence-based practice that is a relevant treatment for working with college students who self-harm or engage in self-destructive behaviors (Chugani, 2015). Specifically, using the acceptance skills of mindfulness and distress tolerance may serve as a treatment starting place for counselors working with clients engaging in self-harm.…”

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy from the Lifespan Perspective

“…2013, Fleming ve ark. 2015, Chugani 2015, Linehan 2015. Düşük riskli gruplarla yapılan DDT çalışmalarında günlük yaşamın işleyişinde ve iyi olma halinde iyileşmeler görülmektedir.…”

The development and theoretical application of an implementation framework for dialectical behaviour therapy: a critical literature review

“…2). There were 11 discussion papers ( [11,12,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]) and as these were considered the weakest form of evidence they were not included in the synthesis, but are detailed in Table 1. As seen in Table 2, nine papers collected retrospective ( [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]) and five papers ( [32][33][34][35][36]) collected prospective implementation data.…”