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DBT Program awarded highly sought DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Program™

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive multidiagnostic treatment that is effective with adolescents who have difficulty regulating their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. The treatment creator, Marsha Linehan, has participated in and approved the exceptionally high standards for assessing clinician competence in delivering this treatment and certifying providers.

Not all DBT certifications are the same. Some require minimal training and/or self-report, with no peer review or demonstration of competency. There is no doubt in the field that the gold standard is the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification. In order to become certified by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, clinicians must

• Have achieved the required level of professional education and state licensure
• Obtain a minimum of 40 hours of direct, didactic training in DBT
• Have a track record of successful Stage 1 DBT treatment with real clients
• Participate on a DBT consultation team for over one year
• Have read relevant texts and manuals
• Personally complete all the homework assignments required of clients in DBT
• Have taught all the skills in DBT to clients in a skills training group
• Establish and maintain a personal mindfulness practice
• Pass a written examination
• Be recommended by a colleague
• Submit a written case conceptualization on an actual client to demonstrate ability to apply DBT principals and theory to clinical work
• Demonstrate successful clinical work with actual clients through submission of videotaped therapy sessions that are coded for adherence and treatment fidelity

The DBT program at Capital Youth Services has been awarded DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Program™ status. The program has the largest number of Certified DBT Linehan Board of Certification individual DBT therapists of any program in the mid-Atlantic, and we are the only certified DBT program that works with adolescents within a 200-mile radius. In order to achieve this certification DBT programs must submit to rigorous review of their policies and clinical work, observation of groups, interviews with clients and a site visit by DBT experts. The DBT team at Capital Youth Services is proud to meet the high standards set by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification for program certification.

Certified Clinicians:

Britt Rathbone has been practicing DBT since 2002, has written professional and parent books on the topic, and was among the inaugural and select group of clinicians to pass these rigorous standards and be recognized as a Certified DBT Clinician. Mr. Rathbone was the first therapist to achieve Certified DBT Clinician status in the metropolitan DC area. Mr. Rathbone leads the DBT treatment team at Capital Youth Services. He teaches and trains therapists on delivering DBT with adherence.

Jeannette Bjorklund  has been on the DBT treatment team at Capital Youth Services since 2014. She is skilled at delivering all modalities of DBT and has a special interest in working with young adults.

Samantha Ascanio has been on the DBT treatment team at Capital Youth Services since 2019. She is an expert skills group leader and is skilled at providing all elements of DBT. She works with middle schoolers, high schoolers and young adults.

The only DBT-Linehan Board of Certification Certified DBT Clinicians in the metropolitan Maryland, DC, and Virginia who specialize in adolescence are at Capital Youth Services. The DBT program prides itself on outstanding outcomes, experienced and professional clinicians, ongoing training, professional consultation with national experts, and commitment to excellence.

Why Certification Matters

• DBT is a treatment that saves lives.  DBT-LBC grants Certification to Clinicians that have gone through a rigorous assessment process of their qualifications, knowledge and capability to deliver DBT.
• As developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., DBT has been recognized as an evidenced-based practice.
• DBT-LBC Certification is the only DBT Certification credential recognized by Dr. Linehan.
• DBT-LBC provides easy on-line access to listings of DBT-LBC Board Certified Clinicians and Programs to clients in great need.
• Board Certification in DBT, like in all healthcare professions, shows a clinician’s willingness to be reviewed by experts and held to high professional standards.
• Consumers, insurance companies and state regulatory agencies have been asking Dr. Linehan for a means of identifying DBT therapists.  Certification by DBT-LBC was created to answer those requests.