SCWK 8868 Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Elective This course is designed to instruct and prepare students to integrate and apply Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), a comprehensive and flexible evidence-based treatment. Students will learn to conduct thorough risk assessments, develop crisis management plans, understand borderline personality disorder from the DSM-IV and DBT lenses, create a DBT theory-driven case formulation and treatment plan by stages and targets, observing dialectic dilemmas, balancing acceptance and validation, integrating communication styles, applying commitment strategies, conducting chain/solution analysis, implementing diary cards and collaboratively problem-solving with clients and peers. Students will learn the four DBT modules: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Interpersonal Effectiveness, and Emotion Regulation.

Course overview

Department
Social Work
School
SSW
Credits
3
Level
Graduate
Offered
Every Fall,Every Summer

Catalog details

Prerequisites
SCWK7762

Catalog text is imported from the reviewed Boston College course snapshot. Confirm eligibility in EagleApps.

Requirements fulfilled

No source-backed degree requirement is attached to this course yet.

Official evaluation summary

4.37 / 5

Based on 208 aggregate responses from BC Avalanche/Blue evaluations.

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-08-02. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • Alison Macneil
    Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021 · Official rating 4.87/5
  • Elizabeth Harris
    Fall 2023, Fall 2022 · Official rating 4.27/5
  • Erin Schaefer
    Summer 2022 · Official rating 4.40/5
  • Kelsey Taylor
    Fall 2024 · Official rating 4.27/5
  • Lujuana Milton
    Summer 2025 · Official rating 4.67/5
  • Rachel Budhi
    Fall 2025 · Official rating 3.89/5

Sections

No current section details are available.