Donnie James Talley's dissertation on, "A Dismantling Study of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Mindfulness with Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents in a Residential Treatment Facility"

Donnie James Talley, Fielding's School of Psychology

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has grown in popularity and use since its introduction by Marsha Linehan, PhD. Originally developed for use in her work with those diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, there is little available research clearly identifying the role of each module of the skills being taught when intervening with DBT. This dismantling study, conducted with severely emotionally disturbed adolescents in a residential treatment facility, sought to explore the notion that it is the mindfulness skills training elements of DBT that are responsible for the documented success of this intervention. The study also sought to explore if DBT is an effective intervention to improve emotion regulation skills and reduce borderline personality features in this population.

Keywords: DBT, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness, emotion regulation, adolescents, residential treatment.