South Africa: Learn Dialectical Behaviour Therapy's structured model for emotional dysregulation and self-harm. Explore CPD courses for psychologists.
South African psychologists working with clients who self-harm, experience suicidal ideation or struggle with emotional dysregulation will find this course a structured introduction to DBT. Clinical psychologist Dr Ella Brent explains the dialectic between acceptance and change that underpins therapeutic engagement with clients in crisis. She sets out the DBT hierarchy of treatment targets, from managing suicidal risk and reducing self-injury to building life-enhancing skills. Participants gain a DBT-informed framework for case formulation and assessment that helps organise complex, emotionally charged material. The course is accredited by the HPCSA for CPD points and supports clearer treatment strategy.
In this informative and practical session, clinical psychologist Dr. Ella Brent introduces a structured and accessible model for applying Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) in clinical settings, particularly when working with clients experiencing emotional dysregulation, self-harm, or suicidal ideation.
Dr. Brent explores the foundational dialectic between acceptance and change, a central DBT principle critical to therapeutic engagement with clients in crisis. She provides a clinically relevant hierarchy of treatment targets, including managing suicidal risk, reducing self-injurious behaviours, and cultivating life-enhancing skills.
Participants will gain an actionable DBT-informed framework for case formulation and assessment, which integrates clients' emotional, behavioural, and interpersonal challenges. This framework is designed to help clinicians organise complex and emotionally charged material into a coherent treatment strategy that supports both client insight and therapist clarity
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this talk, participants will be able to:
Understand the dialectical principles underpinning DBT and how they support therapeutic progress.
Apply the DBT hierarchy of treatment targets in clinical work with high-risk clients.
Use a DBT-informed assessment model to conceptualise affect dysregulation, impulsive behaviours, relational difficulties, and experiences of emptiness.
Support clients in identifying cycles that maintain self-destructive patterns.
Maintain therapeutic structure when faced with emotionally intense content.
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