High fidelity dialectical behaviour therapy online: Learning from experienced practitioners.
Richard Lakeman, John Hurley, Katrina Campbell and 4 others
PMID 35789190WHAT IT FOUND
Seven therapists described running online DBT skills groups through a platform where clients watched videos before sessions.
They reported shorter, sometimes more interactive groups, but also noted youth attrition and camera-off disengagement.
Key findings
01Therapists described an online DBT skills group where participants watch videos and materials before the session, so group time reviews homework and clarifies skills.
02Some therapists said online groups were shorter, often 90 minutes or less, and sometimes more interactive than face-to-face groups.
03Therapists noted young people could have high attrition online, while others said online reduced anticipatory anxiety and allowed remote participants to join.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Seven therapists from one private DBT service were interviewed, so their views cannot be treated as representative of all DBT therapists. The study asked therapists about their experiences and did not report patient outcomes or a comparison of online and face-to-face DBT. Participants were clients of a paid, technology-equipped programme, and some groups had access barriers, so findings may not apply to people without devices or skills. Therapists were contracted by the Australian DBT Institute, the service that developed the platform, so accounts come from inside the programme. No Aboriginal people were reported accessing the online programme, and older participants may have lacked technological skills, so the paper does not show who can access it.
Declared interests
The research was supported by an internal grant from Southern Cross University, Faculty of Health. Three researchers who conducted interviews had no affiliation to the Australian DBT Institute.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that online DBT is proven to be as effective as face-to-face DBT. This paper reports experiences from seven therapists, not patient outcomes or a comparison of modes.