Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy Track (APPIC #118311)

Two predoctoral interns are selected into the Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program each year. This track consists of a single twelve month placement within YNHPH’s Adult Ambulatory Services.

The Setting

The Ambulatory Services of Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital (YNHPH) are geared to adult patients who do not require the level of supervision and support provided by an inpatient program, but who need more intensive intervention than is readily provided in most outpatient settings. Patients are admitted to one of four main treatment tracks:

1. General Psychiatric track for patients with mood, anxiety and/or psychotic disorders;
2. Dual Diagnosis track for patients with psychiatric and substance use disorders;
3. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) track for patients with borderline personality disorder features who struggle with chronic patterns of suicidal or other self-destructive behaviors; and
4. DBT for substance use disorders (DBT-SUD) track is provided for patients who struggle with borderline personality disorder features and substance abuse or dependence.

The focus of the Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy training track is on the acquisition of advanced clinical skills in evidenced based therapies with special emphasis on Dialectical Behavior Therapy for patients suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder and persistent self-destructive behavior. The DBT IOP provides comprehensive DBT treatment modified within a group-based day hospital setting.

Core clinical activities include

• Primary clinician for 6-8 patients within the program's DBT and/or DBT-SUD tracks
• Co-lead DBT/DBT-SUD therapy groups
  • Skills training o diary card review
  • Behavioral analysis
  • Skills coaching
• Telephone skills coaching
• Weekly DBT consultation group
• Brief individual DBT therapy based on clinical availability

Additional training is provided in

• Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy groups
• Topic-focused groups (e.g., Family Issues, Motivational Enhancement, Relapse Prevention)
• Conducting admission assessments
• Performing psychological evaluations
• Participating in daily treatment planning and review meetings
• A mentored elective research
• Providing supervision to psychology graduate student clinicians and/or psychiatry residents
• Long-term individual psychotherapy within the department’s Long-term Care Clinic

For more information about this placement site, please e-mail seth.axelrod@yale.edu