The Role of Supervision in Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is utilized for clients with problems that include deficits in emotion regulation, including those with borderline personality disorder. These clients generally present with long-standing behavior patterns that are severely debilitating and difficult to change. Providing effective therapy for this population is extremely challenging. Training and supervision are critical to the implementation of competently done DBT. The supervision process mirrors the therapeutic process in terms of the application of a dialectical approach, the use of behavioral methods, and the balancing of acceptance and change. The important and unique aspects of supervision in Dialectical Behavior Therapy are described in this paper, including the nature of the supervisor? relationship, and the techniques used by the supervisor.