Daniel Flynn

Multisite Implementation and Evaluation of 12-Month Standard Dialectical Behavior Therapy in a Public Community Setting

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an effective intervention for treating adults with emotional and behavioral dysregulation. The National DBT Project, Ireland was established in 2013 to coordinate the implementation of DBT across public community mental health settings at a national level. This study describes the implementation and evaluation of DBT across multiple independent sites in adult mental health services (AMHS). The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to guide this national implementation where barriers and facilitators to DBT implementation were considered. Nine AMHS teams completed DBT training and delivered the standard 12-month program. One hundred and ninety-six adults with borderline personality disorder participated in the program, and outcome measures were recorded at four time points. Significant reductions on outcome measures, including frequency of self-harm and suicidal ideation, were observed. This study highlights that DBT can be successfully implemented in community mental health settings as part of a coordinated implementation.

Innovations in Practice: Dialectical behaviour therapy for adolescents: multisite implementation and evaluation of a 16-week programme in a public community mental health setting

BACKGROUND Dialectical behaviour therapy for adolescents (DBT-A) is an intervention with a growing evidence base for treating adolescents with emotional and behavioural dysregulation. This study describes the implementation and effectiveness of 16-week DBT-A across multiple sites in publicly funded child/adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in Ireland. METHOD The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to guide this national implementation. Fifty-four clinicians from seven CAMHS teams completed DBT training and delivered the 16-week DBT-A programme. Eighty-four adolescents with emotional and behavioural dysregulation participated in the intervention and outcome measures were administered at preintervention, postintervention and 16-week follow-up. RESULTS Significant reductions on all outcome measures were observed for DBT-A participants including presence and frequency of self-harm, suicidal ideation and depression. Reductions in the number of acute inpatient admissions, bed days and emergency department visits were also reported. CONCLUSIONS DBT-A can be successfully implemented in CAMHS settings and yield positive outcomes for adolescents with emotional and behavioural dysregulation.