This is the first comprehensive guide to phone coaching in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)--an integral part of treatment that many clinicians find challenging. What are the principles and goals of phone coaching? What limits should be set? How can a therapist manage suicide risk during a brief call? DBT expert Alexander Chapman addresses these and other critical practical questions in this accessible book. He provides guidelines for coaching core DBT distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills; coaching "dos and don'ts"; and tips for structuring each call's beginning, middle, and end. Featuring many concrete examples, strategies, and model dialogues, the book includes a key chapter on suicide crisis calls.

About the Author

Alexander L. Chapman, PhD, RPsych, is Professor and Clinical Science Area Coordinator in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University (SFU), in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and president of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Centre of Vancouver. Dr. Chapman directs the Personality and Emotion Research Laboratory at SFU, where he studies the role of emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder, self-harm, impulsivity, and other behavioral problems. He has published numerous scientific articles chapters, and books; presents widely at scientific conferences; and is on the editorial boards of Personality Disorder: Theory, Research, and Treatment, Journal of Personality Disorders, and Behavior Therapy. Dr. Chapman is a DBT Trainer and Consultant with Behavioral Tech. He regularly gives local, national, and international workshops and invited talks on DBT and the treatment of borderline personality disorder; has consulted with and trained clinicians in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom; and trains and supervises clinical psychology students. He is a recipient of awards including the Young Investigator's Award from the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, the Early Career Scientist Practitioner Award from the Canadian Psychological Association, and an 8-year Career Investigator Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

Reviews

"The reader is guided to avoid numerous pitfalls in phone coaching, and gains wisdom on critical topics, including handling suicidal crisis calls and using electronic communication such as texting. Chapman makes a clear distinction between phone coaching and therapy. This book will no doubt assist clinicians in delivering comprehensive DBT effectively while balancing their work and personal lives. As Chapman states, many clinicians get that 'deer-in-the-headlights look' when introduced to the notion of phone coaching--but this engaging, motivating, often humorous book makes this mode accessible and achievable."--Jill H. Rathus, PhD, Department of Psychology, Long Island University Post

"Chapman is a masterful DBT clinician and teacher who describes how to structure phone coaching calls, effectively orient the client to them, and utilize DBT strategies during calls. He provides fabulous instructions for coaching the emotionally dysregulated and suicidal individual to bring about lasting change, with an emphasis on strengthening and generalizing behavioral skills in difficult situations. The dialogues with patients quoted in every chapter are worth the price of the book on their own! This how-to guide fills a significant gap in the DBT literature, and is entirely consistent with expert recommendations for the treatment of suicidal clients."--Charles R. Swenson, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School-

Book Information
ISBN 9781462537358
Author Alexander L. Chapman
Format Paperback
Page Count 214
Imprint Guilford Press
Publisher Guilford Publications
Weight(grams) 334g