DBT DBT for Specific Populations 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How has DBT been adapted for adolescents (DBT-A)?
- No adaptations are needed; standard DBT is used
- DBT-A includes a family skills training component and a shorter treatment timeline (Correct answer)
- DBT-A removes the mindfulness module for younger clients
- DBT-A only uses individual therapy, not groups
Correct answer: DBT-A includes a family skills training component and a shorter treatment timeline
DBT for adolescents (DBT-A) includes families in skills training, adds a 'Walking the Middle Path' skill module, and is typically condensed to a shorter time frame.
Question 2: What is the 'Walking the Middle Path' skill module added in DBT-A?
- A mindfulness skill for balance and coordination
- Skills to help adolescents and families navigate between extremes in thinking, emotion, and behavior (Correct answer)
- A career planning module for teenagers
- A module about managing peer relationships
Correct answer: Skills to help adolescents and families navigate between extremes in thinking, emotion, and behavior
Walking the Middle Path is a DBT-A module that teaches adolescents and their families dialectical thinking, validation, and behavioral principles to reduce extreme behaviors and polarization.
Question 3: Which of the following is a common adaptation when using DBT with substance use disorders (DBT-SUD)?
- Removing all mindfulness components
- Adding an 'abstinence' dialectic that balances 'dialectical abstinence' — committing to abstinence while accepting relapse non-judgmentally (Correct answer)
- Requiring medical detoxification before starting DBT
- Using only individual therapy without skills group
Correct answer: Adding an 'abstinence' dialectic that balances 'dialectical abstinence' — committing to abstinence while accepting relapse non-judgmentally
DBT-SUD introduces 'dialectical abstinence,' which means striving for abstinence while also accepting and recovering quickly from slips without self-blame.
Question 4: How is DBT applied in correctional or forensic settings?
- Standard DBT is used without modification
- Adaptations include modified confidentiality, increased focus on criminogenic thinking, and integration with correctional programming (Correct answer)
- DBT is contraindicated in forensic populations
- Only the skills group component is used in forensic settings
Correct answer: Adaptations include modified confidentiality, increased focus on criminogenic thinking, and integration with correctional programming
DBT in forensic settings requires adaptations for modified confidentiality, institutional constraints, and often includes targeting criminogenic thinking alongside standard BPD-related targets.
Question 5: What adaptation of DBT has been developed for eating disorders?
- DBT-AN for anorexia only
- DBT-E, which targets binge eating, purging, and restriction as emotion regulation strategies (Correct answer)
- Removing the distress tolerance module
- Adding a nutrition education component to standard DBT
Correct answer: DBT-E, which targets binge eating, purging, and restriction as emotion regulation strategies
DBT for eating disorders conceptualizes disordered eating behaviors as emotion regulation strategies and adapts chain analysis and skills training to target these specific behaviors.
Question 6: When adapting DBT for older adults, what modifications are typically recommended?
- Removing all skills and focusing only on acceptance
- Simplifying skills language, addressing age-specific life challenges, and adapting pacing to cognitive and physical needs (Correct answer)
- Extending treatment indefinitely
- Using only individual therapy
Correct answer: Simplifying skills language, addressing age-specific life challenges, and adapting pacing to cognitive and physical needs
DBT adaptations for older adults include simplifying skills language, addressing age-relevant issues like grief and health challenges, and adjusting pacing for cognitive and physical considerations.
DBT DBT for Specific Populations 1
How has DBT been adapted for adolescents (DBT-A)?