James Fitzgerald Therapy, PLLC
James Fitzgerald, MS
Strengthening Your Conscious Self © 2022
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Introduction to the Modules
This page is under construction (undergoing updates & revisions); please check back often.
Please read this important disclaimer first
This area of the website is for James Fitzgerald’s therapy clients only. You must be registered, with a subscription, and logged into your account to view this page. If you have reached this website in error, please notify the website owner, and choose another page to exit. Publishers of the book have given purchasers of the book common use permission to use the material only for personal use and use with clients.
This page (therapy action plan) on the website (jamesfitzgeraldtherapy.com) is still under construction. Many of the links to websites, videos, audio, and documents may not be set up and working. You are welcome though to start using this page for a reference and guide to therapy sessions. I humbly ask for your patience with the process of setting up this invaluable resource.
This page of the website is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used in place of professional mental health care by a trained professional certified in DBT. I have not received a certification from DBT Linehan Board of Certification, but it has been informing and influencing my work with patients and clients for over 6 years. I have thoroughly studied the requisite materials required to teach DBT, including the books Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Manual, Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Handouts and Worksheets, along with several other books on DBT skills and clinical application in practice. I have also completed the work in DBT myself and have experienced the results of effective implementation of the skills learned.
I have completed an intensive 3 day DBT training course with Frank Anderson, MD, provided by PESI. Once I have an LCMHC, I can apply for the Evergreen certification. I am also going to do more training courses and become certified by the Linehan Board in the near future. In the meantime, I will use the time I practice DBT skills training with clients toward my clinical work hours required for certification. For more information about why it is important for therapists to become certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, please visit the official website: [DBT-Linehan Board of Certification]
How to Use this Page
I invite you to complete the steps in order as they are listed. The lesson link (buttons) will open the guided educational lesson based on the book DBT Skills Training Manual. The handout link (buttons) will open a PDF document from the book DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets. The video link (buttons) will open a YouTube video.
Warning!: If you do not have a YouTube Premium membership subscription, there will be advertisements. In the future, the videos from YouTube will be replaced by self-published videos embedded in the website page, (NO ADS!).
Other DBT Resources
Please visit these other sites while I build and finish construction on this site.
Quick Links to DBT Modules
Introduction to DBT
The lesson link will open the guided educational lesson based on the book DBT Skills Training Manual. The handout link will open a PDF document from the book DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets. The video link will open a YouTube video. Warning!: If you do not have a YouTube Premium membership subscription, there will be advertisements. In the future, the videos from YouTube will be replaced by self-published videos embedded in the website page, (NO ADS!).
There are two sets of handouts and worksheets in this module. The first covers Orientation, which typically takes place during the first session of a new
skills group, or when new members join an ongoing skills group. The purpose of orientation is to introduce members to one another and to the skills trainers, and to orient members to the format, rules, and meeting times of the particular skills training program. As described below, General Handouts 1 through 5 cover these issues, along with General Worksheet 1. General Handouts 6 through 8, and their corresponding worksheets, cover two important general skills for Analyzing Behavior: chain analysis and missing-links analysis. These are also described below.
I. Orientation
General Handout 1: This is a list of the general and the specific goals of DBT skills training. Use this lesson or handout to think how you could personally benefit from skills training. Which areas are you most interested in?
General Worksheet 1: Pros and Cons of Using Skills any time you aren’t sure whether there are benefits to practicing DBT skills. Be sure to fill out the pros and cons for both the option of practicing skills and the option of not practicing.
General Handout 2: Although there are many, many things that can cause us pain, our options for responding to pain are limited. We can solve the problem that is causing the pain. We can try to feel better by changing our emotional response to the pain. Or we can accept and tolerate the problem and our response. Each of these options requires use of one or more DBT skills. The final option is to stay miserable (or make things worse) and use no skills.
General Handout 3: The guidelines for most standard DBT skills programs. These are standards of behavior that people in a group skills program are asked to follow. Some programs may have somewhat modified guidelines.
The guidelines for most standard DBT skills programs. These are standards of behavior that people in a group skills program are asked to follow. Some programs may have somewhat modified guidelines.
Biosocial theory is an explanation of how and why some people find it challenging to manage their emotions and actions. DBT skills are particularly useful for these people.
II. Analyzing Behavior
Analyzing Behavior
A preview of the two general skills for analyzing behavior — chain analysis and missing-links analysis.
Chain Analysis
Any behavior can be understood as a series of linked parts. These links are “chained” together because they follow each other—one link in the chain leads to another. Chain analysis is a way of determining what has caused a behavior and what maintains it. This handout provides a series of questions (e.g., “What happened before that? What happened next?”) for unlocking the links in a behavior chain that can feel stuck together. It guides you through figuring out what factors led to a problem behavior and what factors might be making it difficult to change that behavior. Knowing this is important if you want to change the behavior.
Chain Analysis Step by Step
This lesson/handout explains in greater detail how to do a chain analysis.
Chain Analysis of Problem Behavior
An activity/worksheet for doing a chain analysis. Use it with General Handouts 7 and 7a, which have the same steps.
Example: Chain Analysis of Problem Behavior
A completed sample version of General Worksheet 2.
Missing Links Analysis
A series of questions to help you figure out what got in the way of behaving effectively. Use it to identify why something did not happen that was needed and that you agreed to do, planned to do, or hoped to do.
DBT Additional Resources
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Dummies
The Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook of DBT Skills
The DBT Card Deck for Clients and Therapists
The DBT Skills Building Card Deck for Clients and Therapists
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Manual
DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets
The Expanded Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Manual