Phone Coaching in Dialectical Behavior Therapy

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.

"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-

• 1. Introduction and Overview2. Setting the Stage for Effective Phone Coaching3. Orientation to Phone Coaching4. Navigating and Structuring Phone Coaching Calls5. Core DBT Skills Coaching Principles and Strategies6. Coaching in Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance7. Navigating Suicide Crisis Calls8. Principles and Strategies to Address Challenges and Observe Limits9. Skill Generalization and the Development of Self-Coaching Skills