Integrating DBT Skills into Your Clinical Practice
Yanina Blachard, PsyD, Kimberly Faris, PsyD, Grace Lawton, LICSW
Instructors
This workshop will introduce participants to the basics of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) including: the core principles of DBT, the biosocial theory, the structure of DBT, the four key modules of DBT (mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness), an overview of DBT skills, and clinical applications. We will review a few core skills from each of the DBT modules as well as review the use of the diary card and chain analysis. A variety of empirically-based clinical applications for both behavioral and medical conditions will be presented, and participants will walk away with an understanding of how they can integrate DBT into their clinical practice.
Description
Date & Time
March 21, 2026
8:30 AM to 12:45 PM
Format
Live Workshop with In-Person (at Boston Behavioral Medicine) and On-Line Attendance (via Zoom)
Credits
4 CEs
Fee
$140
Participants will gain knowledge of the basic foundations of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), including: the core principles of DBT, the biosocial theory, the structure of DBT, the four key modules of DBT, an overview of DBT skills, and clinical applications.
Participants will learn core skills from each of the four modules: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness.
Participants will understand the structure and different elements to comprehensive DBT therapy.
Participants will gain knowledge of a variety of clinical applications of DBT with demonstrated empirical validation and develop an understanding of how they can integrate DBT into their clinical practice.
Learning Objectives:
Yanina Blanchard, PsyD (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of clinical experience and extensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She has facilitated in-person DBT groups in college counseling centers and community health centers, supporting diverse populations in building emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.
Dr. Blanchard specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and co-occurring diagnoses, including trauma, mood disorders, and personality disorders. For the past seven years, she has also taught DBT seminars to doctoral interns at Boston Behavioral Medicine, where she is dedicated to training the next generation of clinicians.
Currently, Dr. Blanchard runs a virtual DBT Skills Group for adults, offering accessible and evidence-based support to clients seeking to strengthen their coping strategies. She is passionate about teaching and training other clinicians in DBT, integrating both her two decades of clinical practice and her group leadership experience into her work.
Dr. Kimberly Faris, PsyD (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been practicing in the Brookline area for over 15 years. Throughout her career, she has cultivated deep expertise in behavioral medicine, clinical hypnosis, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), energy psychology, and somatic experiencing. She is currently in the process of obtaining certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Dr. Faris enjoys co-teaching Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) seminars at Boston Behavioral Medicine, and she received extensive DBT training at the Two Brattle Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her clinical training also includes work at Tufts University Counseling Center and Cambridge Health Alliance, where she specialized in behavioral medicine as well as couples and family therapy.
Dr. Faris brings a compassionate and integrative approach to her work, supporting clients with evidence-based practices and a deep understanding of mind-body healing.
Grace Lawton, LICSW (she/her) is a psychotherapist and clinical social worker with years of clinical experience and extensive training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). She is the founder of GML Therapy, PLLC, a private psychotherapy practice based out of Austin, TX and is the co-founder of the DBT Program at Boston Behavioral Medicine. She currently runs DBT Skills Groups for adults and actively integrates DBT into her clinical work with individuals and couples. Grace enjoys and co-teaching Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) seminars at Boston Behavioral Medicine, and has served as a mentor to clinicians looking to gain experience with DBT.
In addition to her work at her psychotherapy practice, Grace is on the teaching team in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology department at Harvard Extension School and also works as a Groop Guide and leadership expert at Groops. She earned her MSW at Columbia University and her B.S. at Boston University.