DBT in the 21st Century: With a Special Emphasis on Suicidal Multi-Problem Adolescents and their Families

July 22, 2025

9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. PT
Virtual Presentation via Zoom

Hosted by the Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Mental Health Training Program

Register now

Presented by Alec Miller, PsyD

Presenter Bio

Dr. Alec Miller is a clinical psychologist, teacher, researcher, treatment developer and disseminator of evidence-based interventions to clinical settings, schools and organizations worldwide. He is the co-author of three leading textbooks and treatment manuals of DBT for adolescents in clinical and school settings. He wears three hats: 1) as Co-Founder of Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants (CBC) in White Plains and New York City, NY, a clinical group practice and training center, 2) as a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, and 3) as the President of the Access Psychology Foundation (APF), a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to overcome mental health disparities among historically under-represented populations by increasing access to evidence-based prevention, treatment, education and training.

Today’s youth are faced with many stressors, including the management of technology, that dramatically impact their social, emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning. Dr. Alec Miller and his colleagues’ adaptation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy has become the only well-established evidence-based treatment for adolescents presenting with suicidal behavior along with a variety of emotional and behavioral challenges. DBT is a multimodal intervention that balances acceptance and change strategies. It teaches youth and their caregivers a wide array of skills and strategies to help change and save lives. Dr. Miller will also present two adaptations of DBT used in schools that offer prevention and intervention strategies for both teachers and school mental health providers. Dr. Alec Miller is the co-developer of DBT for suicidal multi-problem adolescents and their families which is the only well-established evidence-based treatment for this population. DBT is a multimodal intervention that balances acceptance and change strategies. In this clinical workshop, Dr. Miller will take a deeper dive into two critical acceptance-based skills used with teens and families: Mindfulness skills and validation skills. Mindfulness skills help our teens, parents and therapists enhance their focus and self-awareness, reduce suffering and increase the capacity of joy and pleasure! Validation skills might be the most effective tool you will learn to help regulate your client’s emotions (and your own).

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:

  • List the modalities of comprehensive DBT with suicidal adolescents in clinical settings
  • Explain the outcome data from research trials evaluating DBT for suicidal adolescents
  • Discuss DBT’s biosocial theory of emotional dysregulation
  • List common risk factors for suicide in adolescence
  • List the 5 problem areas and 5 skills modules of DBT
  • Utilize the treatment structure and targets for multi-problem, high risk adolescents
  • Explain the two primary functions of mindfulness in DBT
  • Explain two benefits of validation and one consequence of invalidation

Instructional Level

Advanced

This CE program is free to Kaiser Permanente employees.

Instructional Methodology
Lecture
Audio/Visual
On-line Presentation

Continuing Education Information

Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Training Programs (KPMHTP) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. KPMHTP maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California Mental Health Training Programs designate this live activity for 4 hours continuing education credits for the above-identified licensed professionals.

Refund and Attendance Policy

This session is free to all Kaiser Employees. There is no known commercial support for this program. For questions and requests for information, please contact our program evaluator: supria.k.gill@kp.org

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Those who attend the program in full and complete the appropriate evaluation form will receive CE credits. Please note that credit will only be granted for those who attend the entire lecture.

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