Dbt for adolescents at high risk for suicide

Approximately 1 of 5 high school students in the United States has seriously considered attempting suicide, and 1 of 10 has attempted suicide in the past year. Hence, it is critical that mental health professionals who treat adolescents are familiar with evidence-based strategies for reducing suicide risk in this age group. This presentation will introduce clinicians to DBT, which is currently the only “well-established,” empirically supported treatment for adolescents at high risk for suicide. This Workshop will teach clinicians the basic principles and interventions used in DBT with adolescents and parents and/or families. To help a wide range of clinicians, we will discuss how to adopt standard DBT protocol and how to adapt elements of DBT into various practice settings. For psychiatrists serving in the role of medication provider for a youth receiving DBT, we will address how to work with the therapist within the DBT framework.