As DBT therapists, we all work with clients who identify as sexual or gender minority individuals, or both. How does our guiding theoretical framework, the biosocial theory of emotion dysregulation, incorporate attentiveness to the effects of stigmatizing environments for LGBTQ+ people? How can we most effectively apply DBT strategies, such as dialectical assessment, validation, and change strategies, to help our LGBTQ+ clients manage and recover from the effects of stigma? Importantly, how can our DBT work be informed by our understanding of LGBTQ+ minority stress in a way that maintains fidelity to the treatment model?
In this webinar, we will discuss these questions as we consider how DBT can be contextualized to meet our LGBTQ+ clients’ needs while still maintaining treatment fidelity. By the conclusion of this event, participants will:
- Understand leading models for conceptualizing minority stress for LGBTQ+ individuals.
- Identify how models for LGBTQ+ minority stress can be integrated with biosocial theory.
- Describe how DBT strategies can be used effectively with LGBTQ+ clients.
Presenter: Kim Skerven, PhD, ABPP is a Certified DBT Clinician through the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (LBC). Dr. Skerven has a longstanding interest in delivering evidence-based treatment in ways that meet the needs of LGBTQ+ clients. She currently serves as a Co-Chair of the LBC’s diversity committee, a Co-Chair of the Public Policy Committee for APA Division 44 (Society for Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity) and is the Associate Editor of the Clinician’s Digest feature in the journal Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. At the Center for Behavioral Medicine in Brookfield, WI, Dr. Skerven offers a dedicated skills training group for LGBTQ+ adults that is integrated into the comprehensive DBT program.
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