Spotlight: Nick Salsman

My name is Nick Salsman and I am a DBT-LBC certified clinician, as well as a volunteer for the DBT-LBC fundraising committee. I choose to volunteer my time to this organization because I believe that the mission of DBT-LBC is critical. This issue of Certification Matters is dedicated to May being Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Awareness Month. In honor of BPD Awareness Month, I am proud to announce that DBT-LBC is launching a new scholarship fund for clinicians seeking individual certification.

DBT is the gold standard treatment for BPD. It is a treatment that science has proven to be effective for reducing the suffering of individuals who severely need it. It helps people who may believe that death by suicide is their only choice to alleviate their pain. As a clinician, it is a privilege to be able to work with individuals who are diagnosed with BPD as they journey out of hell and into lives worth living. I have also worked with individuals with BPD who come to me believing that they have been through DBT, when they actually have not had DBT practiced in an adherent fashion. Sometimes these non-adherent treatments have led individuals down a path where they spend more and more time suffering without receiving the help that they need. It takes time to educate these individuals about why the treatment they received was not actually DBT and how participating in adherent treatment is completely different and worth their time.

The mission of DBT-LBC is to ensure that this treatment can be delivered in an adherent manner to those who need it most. The clinicians who complete the LBC certification process have demonstrated through a rigorous process that they have knowledge of and practice adherence to the DBT model that has been scientifically proven time and time again to help those with BPD and others. Having this certification provides assurance to the public that can help guide them to find the treatment that is needed. We need clinicians who are fully equipped to help those who suffer with BPD. The new individual certification scholarship fund will help increase accessibility of certification to all clinicians and thus increase accessibility of treatment from certified clinicians to all clients. DBT-LBC will be awarding scholarships of $270 to those who are dedicated to this mission, particularly those who serve the underserved. The process for applying for these scholarships can now be accessed by http://www.dbt-lbc.org/index.php?page=101172.

Please join me in donating to the Clinician Certification Scholarship Fund. You can do so by clicking this link https://linehaninstitute.org/donate/certification/. This is a new fund that we want to grow continually. Please give what you can and encourage others to do so as well.

(Please note that the funds are initially deposited to the Linehan Institute only because they are a 501c3 charitable organization and can make your donation tax deductible for you. They have generously offered to help DBT-LBC in this way; they then send a deposit of 100% of your donation to DBT-LBC for the scholarship fund.)