Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) is a universal adaptation of DBT® designed for adolescents in middle and high school. DBT STEPS-A aims to empower adolescents through teaching strategies and skills in the areas of emotion regulation, decision-making abilities, and maintaining and building relationships. DBT STEPS-A uses the concept of dialectics, the idea that two seemingly opposing facts can both be true, to encourage adolescents to use “both-and” thinking. For example, adolescents should both accept themselves and be motivated to change.
DBT STEPS-A is designed to support adolescents in three academic support tiers: (1) general education, (2) needing increased academic or social emotional support, or (3) needing intensive academic or social emotional support. Students from all three tiers receive classroom-based group skills training where instructors aim to teach them to manage difficult and emotional situations and make positive decisions at times of emotional distress. Instructors use additional strategies to support adolescents in Tier 2 and Tier 3, such as individual coaching.
The DBT STEPS-A curriculum incorporates the same four modules of skills as DBT: (1) mindfulness, (2) distress tolerance, (3) emotion regulation, and (4) interpersonal effectiveness. In the mindfulness module, instructors teach skills for increasing self-awareness, becoming less judgmental, and improving concentration. In the distress tolerance module, instructors teach skills for enduring distress without engaging in impulsive action. In the emotional regulation module, instructors teach skills for decreasing unpleasant, distressing emotions and increasing positive emotions. Finally, in the interpersonal effectiveness module, instructors teach adolescents skills for making requests of others and saying no while maintaining good relationships with themselves and others. Each lesson begins with a mindfulness activity followed by homework review in pairs or small groups. Instructors then teach a new skill or strategy, which typically involves interactive skills practice activities, and conclude with a summary/review of the lesson.
DBT STEPS-A does not currently meet criteria to receive a rating because no studies of the program achieved a rating of moderate or high on design and execution.
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed: May 2024
Sources
The following sources informed the program or service description, target population, and program or service delivery and implementation information: the program or service manual, and the program or service developer’s website.
Date Program/Service Description Last Updated: Sep 2024
This information does not necessarily represent the views of the program or service developers. For more information on how this program or service was reviewed, visit the download the Handbook of Standards and Procedures, Version 1.0
Target Population
DBT STEPS-A is designed for adolescents ages 12–19 in middle and high school.
Dosage
Instructors typically deliver DBT STEPS-A to groups of adolescents over 30 lessons. Lessons can be delivered weekly over an academic year, or twice a week over a single semester. It is recommended that instructors do not deliver more than two lessons per week to allow time for students to practice skills and integrate them into their lives. Instructors start with an orientation lesson followed by a lesson introducing the concept of dialectics. Next, instructors provide three lessons on mindfulness followed by 5-7 lessons on each of the other three skills modules. Instructors also provide an additional two lessons of mindfulness between each module.
For students receiving Tier 1 services, instructors structure lessons to be completed within 50-minute periods. For students receiving Tier 2 or Tier 3 services, instructors may split each session over two class periods or complete two cycles of the skills modules to give adolescents more opportunities to learn and practice the skills in each module.
Location/Delivery Setting
Recommended Locations/Delivery Settings
Instructors deliver DBT STEPS-A in school settings. DBT STEPS-A can be delivered as a standalone mandatory course, as part of an existing course, such as a health or physical education, or as an elective course.
Education, Certifications and Training
Instructors are typically general and special education teachers, or school personnel such as health teachers or school-based mental health professionals (e.g., school counselors, school psychologists, or social workers). Instructors delivering DBT STEPS-A to adolescents receiving Tier 2 and Tier 3 support should have experience in adolescent mental health issues.
DBT STEPS-A training is recommended for all instructors. The three-day DBT STEPS-A training provides a comprehensive overview of DBT STEPS-A lessons, describes implementation strategies, identifies potential challenges and solutions for delivering the curriculum and supporting students, and provides instructors with opportunities to practice delivering the curriculum with other training participants.
Program or Service Documentation
Book/Manual/Available documentation used for review
Mazza, J. J., Dexter-Mazza, E. T., Miller, A. L., Rathus, J. H., & Murphy, H. E. (2016). DBT skills in schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A). Guilford Press.
Available languages
The DBT STEPS-A manual is available in English, Spanish, Korean, and Italian.
Other supporting materials
DBT STEPS-A Training Information
For More Information
Website: https://www.dbtinschools.com/
Phone: 206-779-1265
Email: Info@dbtinschools.com
Note: The details on Dosage; Location; Education, Certifications, and Training; Other Supporting Materials; and For More Information sections above are provided to website users for informational purposes only. This information is not exhaustive and may be subject to change.
| Results of Search and Review | Number of Studies Identified and Reviewed for Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents |
|---|---|
| Identified in Search | 2 |
| Eligible for Review | 2 |
| Rated High | 0 |
| Rated Moderate | 0 |
| Rated Low | 2 |
| Reviewed Only for Risk of Harm | 0 |
Studies Rated Low
Study 13241Flynn, D., Joyce, M., Weihrauch, M., & Corcoran, P. (2018). Innovations in Practice: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy — Skills training for emotional problem solving for adolescents (DBT STEPS-A): Evaluation of a pilot implementation in Irish post‐primary schools. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 23(4), 376-380. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12284
This study received a low rating because it did not meet design confound standards.Study 15130
Martinez, R. R., Jr., Marraccini, M., Knotek, S. E., Neshkes, R. A., & Vanderburg, J. (2021). Effects of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) program of rural ninth-grade students. School Mental Health, 14, 165-178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09463-5
This study received a low rating because it did not meet the statistical model standards.