DBT Skills in Schools
Getting Started:
Explicit instructions for teaching the skills—mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness—are provided in 30 lesson plans, complete with numerous reproducibles: 99 handouts, a diary card, and three student tests. Training and lesson plans for the delivery of DBT Skills in Schools is included in the manual and is also available through the developers of DBT Skills in Schools.
Go to the DBT Skills in Schools site to register for training or order the manual. Available trainings can be found via the banner at the top of their page.
Mental Health Literacy Component Inventory
Understanding how to foster and maintain positive mental health: ADDRESSED
Understanding mental health disorders and their treatments: NOT ADDRESSED
Decreasing stigma: ADDRESSED
Understanding how to seek help effectively: ADDRESSED
Learning Standard Inventory
Based on learning standards provided by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Compare & contrast emotional, mental + behavioral illness, mental well-being and concurrent disorders
Describe how self-harm or suicide impacts other people
Explain how to help someone who is thinking about attempting suicide
YES
NO
NO
Identify school and community resources that can help a person with emotional, mental and behavioral health concerns
NO
Describe laws related to minors accessing mental health care
NO
Advocate for reducing stigma associated with emotional and mental and behavioral health
YES
Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A). Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills have been demonstrated to be effective in helping adolescents manage difficult emotional situations, cope with stress, and make better decisions. From leading experts in DBT and school-based interventions, this unique manual offers the first nonclinical application of DBT skills. The book presents an innovative social-emotional learning curriculum designed to be taught by general education teachers or other school personnel in grades 6-12. Explicit instructions for teaching the skills—mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness—are provided in 30 lesson plans, complete with numerous reproducibles: 99 handouts, a diary card, and three student tests.
Materials, Evidence and Implementation
SUPPORT MATERIALS
•Resources/Materials: DBT Skills in Schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) 2016. Guilford Press
•Fidelity Measure: Yes, Curriculum developers can provide observation checklists to schools.
•Student learning measure: Yes, post lesson module tests and answer keys.
- 2 Studies (peer-reviewed)
- Quasi-Experimental
- 72 female Irish High School Students (15-16 yrs old)
- 94 US 9th grade students (42 in treatment condition, 52 in control condition)
- pretest/posttest nonequivalent groups quasi-experimental design
- For students receiving DBT STEPS-A intervention, there was a significant improvement for emotion symptom index and internalizing problems (p<.0125; Study 2) and self-reported social resilience, emotion regulation difficulties, and understanding and acceptance of DBT skills (Study 1).
IMPLEMENTATION
•Program Material Cost: $45 per teacher (manual)
•Modality: Classroom Curriculum
•Setting: Ideally, health and wellness classes. However, it can be taught in any class or as a stand alone class.
•Grade level(s): Middle and HS
•Who delivers the program: Teacher, Social Worker, School Psychologist, Counselor
•Qualifications/Training needed?: Qualifications, No / Optional training, Yes
•Training Description: Optional costs can include training on implementation of curriculum. Although not required, many do choose to attend training provided by DBT in Schools, LLC to enhance their overall understanding of the curriculum, the skills taught, and how to teach them to students.
•Virtual option: Yes
•Length: 30 'sessions', 50 minutes per 'session'
Getting Started:
Explicit instructions for teaching the skills—mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness—are provided in 30 lesson plans, complete with numerous reproducibles: 99 handouts, a diary card, and three student tests. Training and lesson plans for the delivery of DBT Skills in Schools is included in the manual and is also available through the developers of DBT Skills in Schools.
Go to the DBT Skills in Schools site to register for training or order the manual. Available trainings can be found via the banner at the top of their page.
