Certificate Overview
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
About the certificate
Important Notice: Final Offering of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Certificate Program
Thank you for your interest in the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Certificate program. Please be advised that the DBT Certificate will be offered for the final time during the 2024-2025 academic year, concluding in August 2025.
If you are a current student planning to complete the certificate, we have scheduled a final offering of each course required for the certificate during this academic year. This will be your last opportunity to complete the program with SCS.
Please note that if you are unable to finish all required courses within the 2024-2025 academic year, we will not be able to accept any course substitutions, and you will not be eligible to receive the certificate.
We encourage you to plan accordingly and take advantage of this final opportunity to complete your DBT certification.
Thank you for your understanding.
The Certificate in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a specialized training program on an essential therapeutic practice. It is designed for those wanting to learn DBT at an intensive level, and those who wish to better implement the treatment model in their profession.
DBT is comprised of four independent yet interconnected modes of intervention:
- Individual therapy
- Skills training (group)
- Coaching
- Consultation team
This Certificate Program helps you understand DBT’s theory and the application of each of these modes of intervention. Through rigorous content, applied training, exercises, discussions, role-playing, activities, and other multimedia you will learn from field leading practitioners on how to effectively utilize this powerful tool.
What you'll learn
- Explain DBT’s biosocial theory, theoretical underpinnings and treatment principles.
- Create and employ DBT effective treatment plans for clients based on a DBT informed case formulation.
- Implement a range of DBT strategies including validation, problem assessment and solution analysis, dialectics, structural, and motivational strategies.
- Apply the skills from DBT skills modules: Core Mindfulness; Interpersonal Effectiveness; Emotion Regulation; and Distress Tolerance.
- Plan and execute a DBT Consultation Team and deploy DBT techniques to constantly improve team functioning.
Note(s)
Upon completion of this certificate program, your training in DBT will have been comprehensive and you will be ready to practice and improve your clinical skills. However, you will not be designated as a “Certified DBT Therapist”. The only approved DBT certification is through the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification. Dr. McMain has obtained this certification. This five-module DBT Certificate Program helps prepare you for the certification examination. Clinical supervision is also essential to supporting your effective implementation of DBT. The DBT certification examination is a rigorous process and you are encouraged to review the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification website for complete details.
If you have taken any of the DBT courses previously offered by the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies you can gain credit towards your certificate as specified below.
Equivalencies:
- 3335 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT): Basics is equivalent to 3648
- 3336 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT): Beyond Basics is equivalent to 3649 DBT: Beyond The Basics (Foundational Training Part 2)
- 3337 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT): Intensive is equivalent to 3652 DBT: Consultation Team
Required Courses
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3649
DBT: Beyond The Basics (Foundational Training Part 2)
If you already know the basics of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), this course will take you deeper into the theory behind it and its core treatment strategies. You'll use in-depth chain analyses to better understand problems and plan your treatment approach. You'll learn how to manage in-session problem behaviour, strengthen validation strategies and decrease polarization. You'll acquire skills you can apply within a full DBT program or within other psychotherapeutic approaches, and emerge better equipped to help clients with multiple disorders. -
3650
DBT: Individual Therapy
Enhance your individual Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) practice with this hands-on course. You'll get advanced training in problem analysis, case formulation and treatment design. You'll work through real cases – including your own – and present clinical questions. Each two-hour session combines theory, practice and experiential exercises such as skills-modeling, role-playing and consultation. You'll hone the DBT knowledge and skills you've already acquired to correctly analyze a client's situation, design solutions that address their discomfort, increase validation and address issues that arise during treatment. -
3651
DBT: Skills Training
- Winter - 25
- Online
799Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) helps clients improve their emotional health through four core concepts: mindfulness; distress tolerance; emotion regulation; and interpersonal effectiveness. In this course will develop your knowledge and skills in all four core areas. You'll learn how to structure DBT skills groups, teach in a more engaging manner, address problem behaviours and help clients get the most out of their homework. You'll emerge better equipped to help clients who struggle with emotional and interpersonal difficulties to lead less troubled, more satisfying lives.
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3652
DBT: Consultation Team
- Winter - 25
- Online
649Learn how to implement a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Consultation Team within your own treatment setting. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to structure a Consultation Team based on common agreements, breaking down any barriers that might impede your team’s progress and smooth functioning. You’ll assess and identify treatment problems in depth, design the most effective solutions and monitor client progress. You’ll learn to present your own cases more clearly and concisely than ever, and benefit from group consultation and discussion.