April 4, 2025 @ 9am-10:30am PT/11am-12:30pmCT/12pm-1:30ET
Scan below or Register HERE
Join us for a conversation to discuss tailoring DBT for Autistic clients. Many Autistic people struggle with emotion regulation, suicidality, and self-harm following a history of chronic traumatic invalidation by others who do not understand them. DBT can help Autistic people overcome these challenges and pursue their goals, especially when it is appropriately tailored to meet their needs. Yet mental health providers do not always know what adjustments to make when providing DBT for Autistic clients. In this webinar, the presenters draw from clinical, lived experience, and research perspectives on how to tailor DBT for Autistic clients. Alana will summarize her research regarding adaptation recommendations solicited from Autistic participants, Rachel will discuss a neurodiversity-affirming approach to therapy, and Amara will describe the ASCENT model to guide tailoring DBT to help Autistic clients move toward their goals.
(If you are unable to attend the webinar live, you can still register and will have access to it after the live date)
Learning Objectives | By the conclusion of this event, participants will be able to:
- Describe two key adaptations Autistic participants recommended be made to DBT.
- Explain the difference between the deficit-based versus the neurodiversity model in understanding and serving Autistic clients.
- Articulate two strategies included in the ASCENT model to make their own practice more affirming for Autistic clients.
Presenter | Amara Brook, PhD, ABPP (they/them): Dr. Brook earned their bachelor’s degree from Harvard, PhD from the University of Michigan, and advanced clinical training from CSPP. They are Board Certified in Behavioral & Cognitive Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). They are Director at Flow Neurodiversity Affirming Psychological Services (flowps.com), a private practice serving clients in California and all PSYPACT participating states. They are also Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine. Their passions are helping people understand themselves through psychological assessment and reach their goals using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) tailored to be optimally effective for their Autistic and/or ADHD neurotype. They frequently provide training and consultation to other clinicians around the world, helping them understand neurodivergent people and learn how to provide neurodiversity-affirming assessment and therapy. They are currently co-authoring a manual for Guilford Press on tailoring DBT for Autistic clients.
Presenter | Alana McVey, PhD (she/her): Dr. McVey earned her BS in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago and her MS and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Marquette University. She completed her predoctoral internship at the University of California Los Angeles and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia and the University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Autism Center. She is a licensed psychologist in Wisconsin and Washington states. Alana has spent more than 10 years working in autism research with a focus on the presentation and treatment of co-occurring mental health concerns. Her research over the past several years has focused on using implementation science methods to adapt DBT for Autistic clients. This work won the ISITDBT Student Research Award in 2022, and Alana has been invited to speak nationally and internationally on this topic. Alana offers individual therapy at CBM and provides consultation and training in evidence-based adaptations to DBT for Autistic clients. Her approach to clinical work is compassionate, wholehearted, and grounded in evidence-based practice. She is attentive to and deeply values each person’s lived experience.
Presenter | Rachel Leah Kraus, LCSW-C (she/her): Rachel Leah Kraus received her BS in Psychology (Ecopsychology) from Mount Holyoke College and her MSW from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Rachel has participated in numerous advanced trainings in DBT, been providing DBT informed treatment since 2008 in various contexts including schools, residential treatment facilities, hospitals, and community mental health clinics before transitioning exclusively to private practice. She currently offers DBT-informed individual therapy to clients in Maryland who have a borderline, C-PTSD, and/or OCD diagnosis on top of an Autistic (including those with a PDA profile), ADHD, or AuDHD neurotype utilizing a neurodiversity affirmative approach. Rachel also provides executive function coaching to clients throughout the United States. Additionally, Rachel offers professional training and consultation on tailoring DBT to the needs of Autistic clients, making DBT more neurodiversity affirmative, and is a co-author of an upcoming manual on this topic.
CEUs. This event is being co-sponsored by Portland DBT Institute who will issue the CEs from NBCC. Participants will earn 1.5 CEs for attending this presentation.
You can find more resources and opportunities to learn from the presenters below:
- Recent DBT Bulletin article (Brook, Kraus, Chaney, & Swenson, 2024):
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62e933212ea2a15419c196cd/t/66abeeaa152a0643be89733f/1722543789860/DBTBulletin_V8.pdf - On-Demand 5 Hour CE Training, “Tailoring DBT for Autistic Clients” (Amara & Rachel): https://divergentdbt.ce-go.com/courses/tailoring-dbt-for-autistic-clients
- Monthly Group Consultation with Amara & Rachel: https://www.divergentdbt.com/store/p2/clinician-dbt-training.html#/
- Continuing Education on DBT through the Center for Behavioral Medicine: https://cbm-dbt.com/training-consultation/continuing-education-program/
