Main description:

Deliberate practice exercises allow students and trainees to rehearse foundational dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills and strategies to respond effectively and flexibly to diverse, complex clinical presentations and situations.

Each book in the Essentials of Deliberate Practice series contains customized role-playing exercises in which two trainees act as a client and a therapist, switching back and forth under a supervisor's guidance. The trainee playing the therapist improvises appropriate and authentic responses to client statements organized into three difficulty levels-beginner, intermediate, and advanced-reflecting common issues encountered by DBT practitioners.

The first 12 exercises each focus on a single skill, such as validating clients, encouraging commitment to therapeutic goals, teaching problem-solving skills, and working with clients in crisis or expressing suicidal ideation. Following these are two comprehensive exercises-an annotated transcript and free-form mock therapy sessions-in which trainees integrate essential skills into a single DBT session.

Step-by-step instructions guide participants through the exercises, identify criteria for mastering each skill, and explain how to monitor and adjust difficulty. Guidelines to help trainers and trainees get the most out of training are also provided.

Contents:

Series Preface
Tony Rousmaniere and Alexandre Vaz
Acknowledgments
Part I. Overview and Instructions
Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview of Deliberate Practice and Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Chapter 2. Instructions for the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Deliberate Practice Exercises
Part II. Deliberate Practice Exercises for Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills
Exercises for Beginner Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills
Exercise 1: Establishing a Session Agenda
Exercise 2: Validation
Exercise 3: Reinforcing Adaptive Behavior
Exercise 4: Problem Assessment
Exercises for Intermediate Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills
Exercise 5: Eliciting a Commitment
Exercise 6: Inviting the Client to Engage in Problem Solving
Exercise 7: Skills Training
Exercise 8: Modifying Cognitions
Exercise 9: Informal Exposure to Emotions
Exercises for Advanced Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills
Exercise 10: Coaching Clients in Distress
Exercise 11: Promoting Dialectical Thinking Through Both/And Statements
Exercise 12: Responding to Suicidal Ideation
Comprehensive Exercises
Exercise 13: Annotated Dialectical Behavior Therapy Practice Session Transcript
Exercise 14: Mock Dialectical Behavior Therapy Sessions
Part III. Strategies for Enhancing the Deliberate Practice Exercises
Chapter 3. Additional Guidance for Trainers and Trainees: How to Get the Most Out of Deliberate Practice
Appendix A. Difficulty Assessments and Adjustments
Appendix B. Deliberate Practice Diary Form
Appendix C. Sample Dialectical Behavior Therapy Syllabus With Embedded Deliberate Practice Exercises
References
Index
About the Authors