Creating a Life Worth Living: Implementing Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Acute Inpatient Units for Children and Adolescents-View Recording

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Video Summary

The presentation focused on the implementation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in an acute inpatient unit for children and adolescents at Children's National in Washington, D.C. DBT, originally created for treating chronic suicidality and borderline personality disorder, has been adapted for various psychiatric disorders. Dr. Alex Yoon, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow, highlighted how DBT is being integrated into treatment settings, emphasizing its bio-social model and the importance of understanding patients' emotional dysregulation within environmental contexts. The multidisciplinary approach includes training staff in DBT skills, offering support to families, and applying behavioral principles in therapeutic settings. The team implemented actions like providing diary cards for patients, DBT skills groups for trainees and patients, and coping strategies. Challenges include staff turnover, the need for consistent training, and ensuring DBT's applicability to all patients, especially those with severe conditions. Future goals involve expanding DBT programs, enhancing resources in other languages, and researching DBT's effectiveness. The presentation also tackled adapting DBT to cultural contexts, as seen in a case study involving a North African patient, highlighting the importance of tailored interventions. The overarching message was about the positive impact of DBT, supported by multidisciplinary collaboration and leadership investment, in decreasing aggressive behaviors and improving patient outcomes in psychiatric care.

Keywords

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

DBT

acute inpatient unit

children and adolescents

Children's National

Washington D.C.

emotional dysregulation

multidisciplinary approach

behavioral principles

cultural adaptation

psychiatric care

patient outcomes