Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Informed Pedagogy: Improving the Mental Health and Wellness of Postsecondary Students

University students face increasing mental health challenges, yet scalable, evidence-based interventions in academic settings remain limited. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a university course informed by dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in promoting psychological well-being among undergraduates. Participants in the course (n = 40) were compared with control participants enrolled in other university courses (n = 61) in a longitudinal study design across the length of a semester. Results revealed that students in the DBT-informed course experienced significant improvements across several domains, including mindfulness, adaptive coping skills, stress, and overall well-being. In contrast, the control group did not show significant improvements on any examined variables; well-being, mindfulness, and depression showed significant worsening across the length of the semester. Contrary to our hypotheses, neither group demonstrated change in anxiety, disfunctional coping, or resilience. Findings support the integration of DBT-based curricula into postsecondary education as a scalable and effective approach to enhancing students’ emotion regulation, coping, and overall well-being, while also preventing the worsening of depressive symptoms.