“Things That Have Always Been There Can Now Be Named”: Parental Experiences of DBT-A and Relational Change

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) is effective for adolescents with emotional and behavioral difficulties, yet its impact on parents and broader family relational functioning remains underexplored. Understanding parents’ experiences is important because they support adolescents’ skills application and emotional development. This study explored 13 parents who completed a 24-week DBT-A program in Prague. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, parents described applying DBT skills across contexts, strengthening emotional bonds, increased self-awareness, and improved emotion regulation. They also reported enhanced relationships beyond the family through mindfulness and validation, suggesting parent involvement supports relational functioning and potentially intergenerational benefits of parent involvement.