40 Hours / 40 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is presented by Michele Galietta, PhD.

This training is designed for individual therapists or skills trainers who are members of an intensively trained DBT team but have not yet completed intensive training themselves. It supports teams navigating staff transitions or onboarding by providing newer members with a structured, high-quality introduction to the standard components of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), while also reinforcing the skills of existing team members.

The program centers on DBT Skills Training, a core component of comprehensive DBT that equips clinicians to help clients develop mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. Initially developed for women with chronic suicidality and borderline personality disorder, DBT has since been empirically supported and widely adapted for diverse populations. DBT skills are effective in reducing self-harm, impulsivity, and aggression, and can also be implemented as a stand-alone approach with case management for less acute individuals. Skills training can strengthen both individual treatment and overall team cohesion.

Training is delivered through a combination of didactic presentations, case examples, and hands-on practice. Participants learn to apply and teach DBT skills effectively in their clinical settings and engage in interactive discussions that emphasize practical strategies for implementation, problem-solving, and adaptation to specific populations.

A significant portion of the program addresses forensic applications of DBT, including adaptations for adult and juvenile clients in correctional and forensic mental health settings such as prisons, forensic hospitals, and probation programs. Participants explore how DBT’s synthesis of behavioral science with acceptance and compassion-based principles helps stabilize institutional milieus and reduce violence and self-harm. The program concludes with a review of current research supporting DBT’s effectiveness in forensic contexts and guidance for integrating these practices into existing systems of care.

The following texts are required for this training program:

  • Linehan, M. M. (2014). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford.
  • Linehan, M. M. (2014). DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe salient features of DBT
  • 2 Describe the research behind DBT
  • 3 Describe adaptations of DBT for specialized settings and populations
  • 4 Describe the structure of DBT
  • 5 Describe the bio-social theory of DBT
  • 6 Describe the assumptions of clients in DBT
  • 7 Describe the therapist and client agreements in DBT
  • 8 Describe the modes of DBT and their function
  • 9 Describe the levels of validation
  • 10 Describe a behavioral analysis of problem behavior
  • 11 Describe the cognitive-behavioral strategies in DBT
  • 12 Demonstrate behavioral principles and apply them towards behavior change for one client
  • 13 Describe the problem-solving strategies
  • 14 Describe conducting DBT treatment with an individual client
  • 15 Demonstrate a DBT case conceptualization: identifying goals, stages, and targets of treatment
  • 16 Describe the suicide risk assessment literature
  • 17 Demonstrate a suicide risk assessment on a client
  • 18 Describe an effective treatment plan addressing suicidality
  • 19 Demonstrate commitment of a new client to DBT
  • 20 Demonstrate the various groups of skills
  • 21 Describe consultation team
  • 22 Instruct clients in the use of DBT skills when in crisis
  • 23 Describe informal exposure with an individual client
  • 24 Demonstrate the communication strategies in DBT
  • 25 Describe the case management strategies and how they are used in DBT
  • 26 Demonstrate the principles and practices of mindfulness in the treatment, for clients, therapists, and teams
  • 27 Demonstrate mindfulness practice
  • 28 Describe factors relevant to successful DBT implementation
  • 29 Describe factors relevant to sustaining DBT programs

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health professionals who specialize in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training and adaptations for forensic populations. It is ideal for those providing comprehensive behavioral treatments to justice-involved or forensic populations and seeking to enhance their expertise in DBT and related interventions.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Social Worker
    • Case Manager
    • Nurse
    • Marriage & Family Therapist
    • Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor
    • Other mental health professionals working in forensic, correctional, or justice-related settings

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals who are new to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training and are members of an intensively trained DBT team but have not completed Intensive training themselves.

      Beginner: Participants are new to DBT skills training, may have limited experience delivering DBT interventions, and are seeking foundational knowledge and practical skills for implementing DBT in individual or group settings, including forensic environments. Participants may be newly hired or filling roles due to team turnover and are looking to build competence in the standard content and delivery of DBT skills.

  • Practice Setting

    Mental health professionals who participate in this training typically work in secure, structured, and multidisciplinary environments where they provide assessment, treatment, and case management to justice-involved or forensic populations.

    These settings often involve collaboration with legal, medical, and correctional staff, and require specialized knowledge to address complex behavioral, emotional, and risk management needs.

    Examples of practice settings:
    • State or federal prisons and jails
    • Forensic psychiatric hospitals or units
    • Juvenile detention centers or youth justice facilities
    • Community-based forensic mental health programs
    • Court-mandated treatment programs
    • Probation or parole offices with mental health services
    • Substance abuse treatment centers serving justice-involved clients
    • Crisis stabilization units within correctional or forensic settings
    • Secure residential treatment facilities for high-risk individuals
Presented By

Michele Galietta, PhD

Dr. Michele Galietta is Associate Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York where she served as Director of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program from 2005-2013. Dr. Galietta is a researcher and clinician specializing in the training, adaptation and dissemination of empirically-supported treatments to community and forensic/correctional settings. Her areas of clinical expertise include the assessment and treatment of trauma, self-harm, and suicide across the lifespan. Dr. Galietta has created specialized units and/or consulted to numerous civil, forensic, and correctional settings on risk assessment, risk management, behavioral interventions, and complex needs case formulation.

Dr. Galietta is regarded as a leading expert in the implementation of dialectical behavior therapy. Dr. Galietta is a certified DBT clinician. For over a decade, Dr. Galietta served as a principal trainer for Behavioral Tech, LLC, the company founded by the developer of DBT, Dr. Marsha Linehan. Dr. Galietta has consulted to over 100 agencies in the US and abroad on DBT initiatives. She has worked extensively in public sector settings including state psychiatric hospitals and jails, prisons, and juvenile justice settings. She was principal investigator of an NIMH funded trial of DBT for individuals charged with interpersonal violence or stalking and authored the article, “Adapting DBT for the Treatment of Psychopathy.” She has conducted trainings for New York City Police Officers on mindfulness, communicating with mentally ill individuals, and hostage negotiations. Dr. Galietta has appeared on CNN and Court TV, and has been cited in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time Magazine, and other media outlets.

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Introduction to DBT

  • Theoretical Underpinnings of Treatment

  • Structure of DBT

  • Assessment & Management of Risk

  • Structuring Skills Groups

  • Suicide Assessment and Management

  • Mindfulness Skills

  • Distress Tolerance Skills

  • Emotion Regulation Skills

  • Interpersonal Effectiveness & Walking the Middle Path Skills

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).


Sponsorship Approval Statements

Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Palo Alto University maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073.