Beth S. Brodsky & Barbara Stanley 
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Primer [PDF ebook] 
How DBT Can Inform Clinical Practice

About the Authors ix
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xiii
1 Introduction 3
Part I Theoretical, research, and clinical foundations 13
2 When DBT is indicated: The patients, the clinicians, and the evidence 15
3 BPD: Treatable or untreatable? 27
4 BPD: Diagnosis, stigma, and phenomenology 33
5 Understanding and treating self-harm behaviors in BPD 45
6 The ABC’s of DBT – the theoretical perspective 63
7 The ABC’s of DBT – overview of the treatment 75
Part II Using DBT in clinical practice 83
8 Commitment and goal setting 85
9 The DBT tool kit: The essential DBT strategies and what happens in the individual session 101
10 Skills training: The rationale and structure 125
11 Skills training: The four skill modules 135
12 Between-session contact and observing limits 153
13 Management of suicidal behavior 177
14 The Safety Planning Intervention 185
15 The three C’s of consultation 193
16 DBT case formulation 205
17 Beyond Target 1 – Therapy and ‘quality of life’ interfering behaviors 221
18 The end of treatment 239
Index 245

Beth S. Brodsky, Ph.D. is Associate Clinical Professor of
Medical Psychology in Psychiatry at Columbia University, and a
research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric
Institute. Her areas of expertise include and
psychotherapeutic treatment of self-destructive behavior
in borderline disorder (BPD). She is the Principal
Investigator (along with Barbara Stanley)of a NIMH Excellence in
Education to develop and implement a clinical/research
curriculum teaching Dialectical Therapy (DBT) in
a medical setting. She is the author of many articles and
chapters on BPD, DBT, suicide and self-injury and is a frequently
invited speaker on BPD, suicidal behavior and DBT. She is a
member of the Virginia Apgar Academy of Medical Educators at
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Barbara Stanley, Ph.D. is Professor of Clinical Psychology
in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of
Physicians & Surgeons and Research Scientist at New York State
Psychiatric Institute. She is a trainer in Dialectical Behavior
Therapy for Behavioral Tech, LLC. She has been the principal
investigator on NIH-funded grants investigating suicidal behavior,
self injury, aggression and borderline personality disorder. She is
currently conducting a treatment trial investigating the mechanisms
of action of DBT and antidepressants. Along with Dr. Beth Brodsky,
she is a principal investigator on an NIMH-funded grant to develop
a DBT training curriculum for psychiatrists-in-training. She
has won numerous awards including the American Foundation for
Suicide Prevention Research Award and the Suicide Prevention Center
of New York Research Award.