Preliminary Outcomes on the Use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy to Reduce Hospitalization Among Adolescents in Residential Care

ABSTRACT Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy, has been shown in clinical trials to be an effective treatment for clients who suffer from borderline personality disorder or borderline-type behaviors. Although originally developed as an outpatient model, DBT is increasingly being applied in other settings. This article describes the use of DBT in a residential treatment facility for adolescent girls. Analyses of the time periods before and after the implementation of DBT indicate that DBT was effective in achieving a significant reduction in both premature terminations due to suicidality, and in the number of days clients spent in psychiatric hospitals due to self-injurious behaviors. Overall, DBT has proven to be extremely useful in the treatment of chronically suicidal adolescents placed into residential care.