Course curriculum

This course is discounted for Marin CAMFT members! Log on to your member profile at marincamft.org to find the $15 off coupon code.

    1. From Dysregulation to Dialogue: Integrating DBT Skills in Family Systems

      FREE PREVIEW

    1. From Dysregulation to Dialogue: Integrating DBT Skills in Family Systems - Part 2

    2. From Dysregulation to Dialogue: Integrating DBT Skills in Family Systems - Part 3

    1. Integrating DBT Skills in Family Systems - Post-Test

    1. Integrating DBT Skills in Family Systems - Course Eval

About this course

  • $22.50
  • 5 lessons
  • 1.5 hours of video content

Workshop Description

This 1½ hour interactive training is designed for Marriage and Family Therapists who are looking to deepen their clinical toolkit with skills-based interventions rooted in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). While DBT is often seen as a protocol for individual treatment, this workshop reframes its core elements—emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness—as powerful, flexible tools that can be applied systemically in family therapy.

Through a blend of clinical case integration and reflective discussion, participants will learn how to coach both parents and teens using DBT-informed language and structure. We’ll explore what it means to co-regulate in session, how to teach boundary-setting and validation without shame, and how therapists can ground themselves using DBT skills during emotionally intense family work. Participants will leave with a practical skill set, sample scripts, and accessible tools they can bring into session the very next day.

Educational Goals

This training will cover the application of core DBT skills in family and couples therapy, to increase the confidence of therapists when coaching parents and teens through dysregulation. The training will show how to use DBT-informed tools to support clearer communication and boundary-setting. The instructions will guide participants on how to reflect on their own emotional regulation during family conflict, and they will leave with adaptable language and strategies for real-world clinical use.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this workshop, participants should be able to:

  • Identify and describe the core components of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and analyze their relevance to systemic family therapy frameworks.

  • Apply at least three DBT skills (e.g., DEAR MAN, Wise Mind, ABC PLEASE) within the context of parent-teen interactions to support emotional regulation, promote assertive communication, and facilitate effective boundary-setting.

  • Demonstrate techniques for coaching DBT skills to multiple members of a family system, with specific attention to adapting approaches based on developmental stages and cultural considerations.

  • Utilize DBT-informed language in-session to validate emotional experiences and redirect dysregulated behavior using structured interventions.

  • Reflect on the therapist’s role in modeling self-regulation and managing countertransference during emotionally intense family sessions by employing DBT tools such as STOP and TIPP.

  • Develop and implement a plan to integrate at least one DBT-based intervention into their own clinical work within the following week, and evaluate its effectiveness in practice.

Presenters

Dr. Kavita Ajmere Dr. Kavita Ajmere is a licensed psychologist and coach who is widely recognized as an expert on adolescent health. As the former Director of Counseling Services at Harvard Westlake in Los Angeles, she works with students from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Dr. Ajmere's passion for working with teens is evident in her use of DBT and CBT approaches. Her certification as a yoga instructor further demonstrates her understanding of the mind-body connection, making her clients feel valued and understood.


Dr. Haleh KouchmeshkiDr. Haleh Kouchmeshki or “Dr. K” as the students call her, is currently both the learning specialist and counselor at Vistamar School. As both a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and educational therapist, she has extensive experience in working with children, teens and young adults through the lens of school counselor, learning specialist, and in her role as a private practice clinician.

Specifically, after years of training toward a future in neuropsychology, she realized that she wanted to become more involved in the treatment as opposed to the diagnostic side of helping her clients/students. As such, she went on to pursue specialized training in various efficacious therapeutic modalities including CBT, DBT, and thinkSMART, which is an EF skills based group out of UCLA. As a certified yoga practitioner, she integrates mindfulness practices into her work - recognizing the value of being in the present moment, especially in today’s fast-paced, social media driven world.