The Use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training as Stand‐Alone Treatment: A Systematic Review of the Treatment Outcome Literature

2014/07/14 by Sarah E. Valentine, Sarah Valentine, Sarah M. Bankoff +3 · 217 citations
Psychology · #Borderline personality disorder #Clinical psychology #Dialectical behavior therapy #MEDLINE #Modalities #Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders #Personality Disorders and Psychopathology #Psychology #Psychotherapist #Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications #Systematic review #Training (meteorology) #Variety (cybernetics)

paper · doi:10.1002/jclp.22114

published in Journal of Clinical Psychology 71(1), 1-20 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2014/07/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills training is currently being administered as stand-alone treatment across a variety of clinical settings, serving diverse client populations. However, there is little empirical support for this use. METHOD: In this systematic review, we identified 17 trials employing a treatment that included DBT skills training in the absence of the other DBT modalities. RESULTS: While the literature reviewed provides preliminary evidence of the utility of DBT skills training to address a range of mental health and behavioral problems, methodological limitations of published studies preclude us from drawing strong conclusions about the efficacy of skills training as a stand-alone treatment. CONCLUSION: We present an overview of the implementation of DBT skills training across clinical settings and populations. We found preliminary evidence supporting the use of DBT skills training as a method of addressing a range of behaviors. We provide recommendations for future research.

Citations

• Dialectical behaviour therapy skills training compared to standard group therapy in borderline personality disorder: A 3-month randomised controlled clinical trial

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