Can Trainees Effectively Deliver Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder? Outcomes From a Training Clinic.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 6-month course of comprehensive dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) provided in a training clinic with doctoral students as therapists and assessors.

METHOD

Clinical outcomes for 50 individuals with borderline personality disorder (80% female, M = 29.52 [SD = 9.64]) are reported. Reliable change indices and clinical significance were calculated for measures. Finally, our results were benchmarked against a "gold standard" randomized clinical trial (RCT; McMain et al., 2009).

RESULTS

Analyses with both the full sample and the treatment completers indicate significant reductions in mental health symptomatology that were reliable, clinically and statistically significant, and comparable in effect size to the benchmarked RCT.

CONCLUSION

This DBT training clinic produced good outcomes, comparable to that of a large RCT. Results have implications for who can provide DBT treatment, as well as improving access to DBT in community settings where training clinics may be located.