Austin DBT


 Dialetical Behavior Therapy

 Candace Smith is a trained and certified Dialectical Behavior  Therapist in Austin, TX.  Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches clients to accept the reality of their lives while also learning to change dysfunctional behaviors and thought patterns.

I am currently on a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Team (DBT) that meets weekly for consultation and further education and I have completed the 10-day DBT Intensive Training through Behavioral Tech, LLC.  Behavioral Tech, founded by Dr. Marsha Linehan, trains mental health care providers and treatment teams who work with complex and severely disordered populations by using compassionate, scientifically valid treatments and to implement and evaluate these treatments in their practice setting.

Finding a Qualified DBT Therapist

To be considered a DBT therapist, one must have attended an intensive training (most are 10 days total, with 6-months of readings, projects and research), have an ongoing weekly consultation with other DBT therapists to staff cases and continuing learning DBT principles and techniques and offer coaching calls to clients.  DBT training is provided by  Behavioral Tech, which is the company Marsha Linehan started as she developed DBT.  www.behavioraltech.org

Questions you can ask if your are looking for a DBT Therapist:

  • Have you completed a 10-day intensive DBT training?
  • Are you a member of a DBT consultation team?
  • Have you been supervised by an expert DBT therapist?
  • Are you familiar with the main sets of DBT strategies, including cognitive behavioral therapy, validation, and dialectics?
  • Do you teach skills, practice behavior analysis, and review diary cards?
  • Do you do phone coaching?
  • How many clients have you treated using DBT?

The answer to these questions (except the last one) should be 'YES'. You have a right to check on the therapist’s credentials; to know if the therapist is licensed in his/her state; to know the extent and nature of the therapist’s education and training; the extent of the therapist’s experience in treating clients with similar problems; and the therapist’s arrangements for coverage or emergency contacts.

The Austin DBT Consultation Team

 

Pictured from left, Penny Kruger, LCSW, Beverly Snodgrass, LPC, Jennifer Wu, LCSW, and Candace Smith, LCSW