DBT is an empirically-supported, structured therapy that emphasizes both acceptance and change-oriented skills. We help clients move away from polarized thinking in order to accept seemingly opposite truths. This “dialectical” thinking allows them to construct more effective, meaningful lives. Clients learn skills in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
The Wake Kendall Group PLLC is home to a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Program™.
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The DBT program at our Washington, D.C. office is true to the model of a community of therapists treating a community of clients. The Wake Kendall DBT community took root in 2003 when Wake Kendall psychologists first participated in week-long intensive training sessions with Dr. Marsha Linehan, the founder of DBT. The Wake Kendall DBT program has grown organically as we have observed clients making effective use of DBT to achieve their goals. Our DBT program was the first in the Washington, D.C. metro area to be certified by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification.
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (DBT-LBC) Program Certification indicates that the program has the structure and practices consistent with the delivery of a comprehensive implementation of DBT. The program must have a Team Leader who is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™ and must undergo a rigorous and extensive review that includes document review, interviews with treatment providers and clients, and on-site observations of the DBT program practices in action.
Some members of our team have also pursued and achieved individual therapist certification as DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinicians™. As with program certification, the clinician certification process involves a number of steps that show understanding of and adherence to the DBT model. It is an unusually demanding process, and it is a testament to our program that Wake Kendall therapists have been successful in becoming certified. To learn more about the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, visit the DBT-LBC website.
DBT has long been the treatment of choice for individuals with pronounced emotion regulation difficulties, and over the years, DBT has been extended to work with individuals who struggle with depression, trauma, and addiction. Wake Kendall offers DBT in the Washington, D.C. metro area for adults with a range of presenting concerns. We take time in pre-DBT sessions to ensure that DBT is a good fit for the client. Once it is established that DBT will address the needs of the client, we typically ask for a one-year commitment. For clients who are looking to learn DBT skills but do not require the support of comprehensive DBT, we also offer a consolidated and abbreviated skills training course in our “EASE Program.”
We have a robust team in which senior members share accumulated experience, and early career therapists infuse our program with new energy and ideas. Our team meets weekly, and we continually hone our skills with ongoing training and regular consultation with DBT experts in other parts of the country. We are honored to be involved in important changes in the lives of our clients, some of whom have come to us with extensive histories of prior treatment. The central idea in DBT is that individuals are doing the best they can and, at the same time, need to change. We constantly seek to improve our ability to meet the needs of our clients, and we believe that humility and a respect for the formidable challenges faced by clients are critical to our work.
The Adult DBT program includes four key components: weekly skills training, weekly individual therapy, telephone coaching, and treatment team.
Clients attend one weekly instructional group with roughly ten to twelve participants and two professional leaders. The group lasts one hour and forty-five minutes. The topics covered are:
Clients attend weekly individual therapy sessions, lasting from 45 to 60 minutes. Individual therapists help clients identify meaningful goals and target specific behaviors to change. Clients keep a “diary card,” a checklist for tracking thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and skills on a daily basis. During sessions, the therapist’s role is to facilitate application of skills to daily life. Clients are also expected to maintain or steadily move toward at least 20 hours of structured activity per week (paid work, volunteer work, or classes).
Clients are encouraged to call their individual therapist for brief (five minute) skills-oriented coaching when they are experiencing difficulty applying skills.
Individual therapists and group skills leaders meet on a weekly basis and work as a consultation team.
We often have a waiting list for our DBT program. We endeavor to move people off the waiting list as soon as possible however, the wait time to enter our comprehensive DBT program is typically a minimum of 4 to 12 weeks.
You may be eligible to participate in skills training group as an adjunct to your ongoing treatment outside of the Wake Kendall Group while you are on the wait list to join our comprehensive DBT program. Availability to start in Pre-DBT Skills Training in Advance of Treatment (Pre-DBT STAT) depends on openings in the skills groups.
In the interest of facilitating a smooth intake procedure, we ask that you proceed with the following steps:
Clicking on the application link will take you to the HelloSign website, where you will be required to enter your email address in order to proceed with the application process. After submitting your email address, you will receive an email from HelloSign with the subject line “Click here to sign DBT Application.” Following the link in the email (“Review Document”) will allow you to begin completing your application electronically. Upon completion, the application will be securely transmitted to us.
If you have additional questions about our program, please contact our DBT Intake Coordinator at 202-686-7699, x30.
You may be eligible to participate in skills training group as an adjunct to your ongoing treatment outside of WKG while you are on the waiting list to join our full DBT program. Availability to start in Pre-DBT Skills Training in Advance of Treatment (Pre-DBT STAT) will vary depending on openings in the skills groups.
When there is an opening in our full program, we will let you know, and our intake coordinator will reach out to assign you an individual DBT therapist in our program. At this time, you would pause or terminate treatment with your primary outside provider (if they are a psychotherapist) for the duration of your time in comprehensive DBT. You should plan to continue your work with any psychiatrist/prescribing provider for ongoing medication management during your time in DBT.
If at the time that we offer you a space in our comprehensive program (i.e. assignment to a DBT therapist on our team) you have met your treatment goals and no longer wish to transition into the full DBT program, we expect that you will complete the module in which you are currently enrolled and you will subsequently be removed from our waitlist at the conclusion of the module.
Requests to continue in additional modules of skills group after this point will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If at any point your group leaders, in conjunction with the DBT team, believe that Pre-DBT STAT is no longer an appropriate treatment for you we will discuss this with you and may recommend an alternate treatment outside of our program.
EASE is a 12-week didactic skills training group that teaches select Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills, including mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance.
To enroll in the EASE group, please first complete the EASE application electronically. After we receive your application, we will contact you within a week to schedule a brief phone screening to assess your needs and eligibility for the group. If we find that the EASE program does not meet your needs, we will be happy to refer you to the appropriate treatment.
Please note: In contrast to Wake Kendall’s DBT Program, EASE includes solely a didactic skills component and covers a condensed overview of DBT skills. Individuals seeking more intensive and comprehensive skills training in adherence to Linehan’s DBT model are encouraged to apply to Wake Kendall’s full DBT program (see above).
To enroll in the EASE group, please first complete the EASE application electronically.
