Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for PTSD

In this course, the case is laid for why a different form of DBT is needed for those very unwell clients who have emotional dysregulation or full-blown BPD and who have also been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Such clients are often excluded from studies and DBT programs because they are not stable enough given the PTSD, yet there is no PTSD treatment available. Without it, such clients do not reduce the BPD/emotional dysregulation symptoms as effectively, and the PTSD may worsen. The course outlines DBT PE, a newly emergent protocol developed by Melanie Harned, which integrates exposure work into the second stage of DBT. The course also examines DBT PTSD, a parallel development by European researchers which targets a similar client population. Preliminary research findings for both protocols are included, along with DBT skills to help traumatised clients.