Requirements, consultation and treatment team timelines & expectations
If you would like to become DBT certified, you would need to purchase our DBT certificate program. Additionally, to become certified, you would (eventually) need to be a part of a DBT team.
If you are not yet on a DBT treatment team upon the completion of the coursework, that's not a problem. You have the option to go ahead and complete the coursework at any time. Then, once you are on a DBT Team you can then complete the certification by completing the 6-months of consultation.
The coursework can be purchased one course at a time or all at once (we recommend completing the coursework in the order in which it is outlined on our site). There are 80 hours of didactic training required before you can move forward to the consultation. The coursework is $2000.
There is a fee of $500 for the consultation portion of the certification and you must be approved to proceed to consultation by indicating that you're a licensed MH professional, have completed the 80 hours of didactic training, and are part of an active DBT Team and engaged in the delivery of DBT. You will be required to take an exam on DBT to demonstrate the required knowledge prior to entering the consultation portion. The fee for the consultation is separate from the fees for the coursework; you will not be able to pay for consultation until you have been approved to move forward.
How does the DBT supervisor define a DBT treatment team?
A DBT consultation team is defined as a group of 3-8 therapists who work in active DBT practices coming together to provide consultation to each other about their cases. To become certified in DBT you must be actively engaged in the treatment of clients using DBT and be part of a DBT consultation team. If you have a DBT Team at your practice, that works. If not, you will need to join a DBT Team by finding other therapists who are actively engaged in DBT and joining their consultation team.