Treatment at the MML DBT Clinic
The Marsha M. Linehan DBT Clinic currently offers in-person and telehealth clinical services for adults and adolescents aged 13+ who are residents of Washington State.
To inquire about our current availability, please contact the intake coordinator at DBTClinic@uw.edu.
Modes of Treatment
DBT is a comprehensive treatment that is comprised of 4 modes. Each of these modes meets a specific function to help clients move toward their goals. Comprehensive DBT involves individual therapy sessions, group skills training, between sessions coaching, and therapists working together on a consultation team.
Individual Therapy
Clients will work with their individual therapists to identify specific goals for treatment. The client and the therapist will then identify the steps to get to those goals and the skills that will be needed to help the client take those steps. Our standard individual sessions are 50-minute sessions. Adjustments may be made by your primary therapist as part of your individual treatment plan.
Group Skills Training
All individuals use skills to help them achieve their goals in life. Not everyone has had the same opportunities to learn, practice, or be reinforced for the skills needed to build a life experienced as worth living. DBT skills training teaches clients Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness skills in the hopes of providing the tools that they need to work with their individual therapist to build a life they experience as worth living.
DBT skills training groups through our clinic will run for 2 hours, this will include one 10-minute break at the midpoint.
All clients enrolled in DBT skills training group must have an individual therapist serving as their primary therapist. We do have a process by which we can allow clients with individual therapists outside of the MML DBT clinic to participate in our DBT skills training groups. Please inquire with our intake coordinator for more information.
Adolescent DBT
DBT for Adolescents consists of the same modes of treatment as DBT for adults. Adolescent clients are enrolled in our Multi-Family Skills Group. Multi-Family Skills Groups are designed to be attended by the adolescent client and at least one adult caregiver. This allows caregivers to learn the same content side by side with their adolescent. Please contact our intake coordinator for more information.
FAQs
Who delivers treatment at the MML DBT Clinic?
The MML DBT clinic is a training clinic for graduate students in the Clinical and Child Clinical Psychology Ph.D. programs at the University of Washington. As such, individual therapy and DBT skills training is provided by advanced clinical psychology graduate students, under the supervision of the DBT clinic director and other licensed supervisors. You can learn more about our current therapists and skills trainers on our Clinic Staff page.
Graduate students have completed extensive coursework and foundational practicum experiences before participating in the DBT Clinic practicum. In addition to close clinical supervision, the graduate student therapists meet with the director weekly on a DBT consultation team to help ensure that they adhere to the standards of the treatment.
How long does it take to complete your DBT program?
The length of time the program of treatment will take depends on the treatment targets agreed upon by the client and their individual therapist. A comprehensive DBT program requires a minimum of 6 months of skills training to be delivered concurrently with individual therapy.
Our program begins with an initial 6-month commitment to treatment. At the end of those 6 months, you will work with your therapist to evaluate your progress toward your treatment goals. You and your therapist will then decide on how much additional time you should plan to spend in treatment continuing to work toward those goals. If treatment goals have been reached before the end of the 6 months you can work with your therapist to decide whether to end treatment or components of the treatment before the 6 months have elapsed.
What payment options are available?
As a training clinic, we are not able to bill through insurance companies, and payment is expected at the time of service. Details about fees, including the application process for reduced fee services are discussed during the screening process for new clients. Thanks to our generous donors, we are able to offer deeply discounted services to those in financial need.
How do I make an appointment?
Contact the Intake Coordinator by e-mail at DBTClinic@uw.edu or at (206) 685-3295.
If we are currently accepting new clients, our Intake Coordinator will contact you to perform a phone screen to help determine whether you are a suitable candidate for DBT at our clinic. If our intake coordinator believes another clinic in the community may be a better fit, they will provide you with as much referral information as possible.
If we are not currently accepting new clients, we will provide you with the names of several other DBT clinics in the Greater Seattle area.