"Even the most senior DBT therapist will undoubtedly become better after Swenson's DBT master class. Swenson uses clinical vignettes, personal stories, and superb teaching examples that breathe life into the most challenging elements of DBT. Readers will marvel at the abundance of wisdom that Swenson brings to bear in teaching clinicians how to precisely apply DBT principles in difficult situations, including how to capably conduct the 'life worth living conversation' with a suicidal client. From one of the leading clinical educators of our time, this book is a tour de force."--Alec L. Miller, PsyD, Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants, LLP, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Charles R. Swenson, MD, is Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and maintains a private practice in psychiatry and psychotherapy with adults, families, and adolescents in Northampton, Massachusetts. He has been involved in the practice, supervision, training, and implementation of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in a wide range of mental health systems in Canada, the United States, and Europe for the past 25 years. He was the first professional authorized by Marsha M. Linehan to deliver intensive DBT training, is cofounder of the International Society for the Improvement and Teaching of DBT (ISITDBT), and has published numerous articles and book chapters on DBT. Dr. Swenson is a recipient of the Cindy J. Sanderson Outstanding Educator Award from ISITDBT and is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

1. Getting Started in Therapy: Pretreatment and the Life Worth Living Conversation 2. Introducing DBT's Three Paradigms 3. The Acceptance Paradigm 4. The Change Paradigm 5. The Dialectical Paradigm 6. The DBT Tree: The Structural Anatomy of DBT 7. Goals, Stages, Targets, and Target Priorities 8. Dialectical Dilemmas and Secondary Targets 9. Case Conceptualization in DBT 10. Commitment and Commitment Strategies 11. Behavioral Chain Analysis 12. Validation 13. Dialectical Strategies 14. Skills and Skills Training 15. Prevention and Treatment of Therapist Burnout Afterword