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James Mazza, Elizabeth Dexter-Mazza, Alec L Miller, Jill H Rathus, Heather E Murphy
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills have been demonstrated to be effective in helping adolescents manage difficult emotional situations, cope with stress, and make better decisions. From leading experts in DBT and school-based interventions, this unique manual offers the first nonclinical application of DBT skills.
The book presents an innovative social-emotional learning curriculum designed to be taught at the universal level in grades 6-12. Explicit instructions for teaching the skills - mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness - are provided in 30 lesson plans, complete with 98 reproducible handouts and three student tests.
The large-size format and lay-flat binding facilitate photocopying; purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.
I. Overview of DBT STEPS-A
II. Instructor Information, Lesson Plans, and Tests Lesson
III. Student Handouts
"I have used DBT STEPS-A the last 2 years with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. In my 36 years as an educator I have used many programs, and this one is the most comprehensive and powerful. I surveyed one of my eighth-grade classes, and 96% of the students said they would use the skills they learned. Imagine students learning that their thoughts and feelings can lie to them in a crisis situation, and gaining the skills to successfully deal with their issues. My district and others cannot afford to be without DBT STEPS-A."
- Richard Jones, MEd, School Counselor, Maple Grove School, Battle Ground, Washington
"A truly wonderful curriculum to support social–emotional learning (SEL). The authors give school personnel needed tools to teach SEL skills both universally and to targeted high-risk students. The manual is clear, concise, and comprehensive, while providing enough flexibility that school-based mental health professionals and teachers can adapt it to their schools' particular needs. This book is an important resource for anyone who is charged with helping students to become more emotionally adept, manage stress, and live more balanced lives."
- Michael Hollander, PhD, Director of Training and Consultations, 3East DBT Services, McLean Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
"The authors of this groundbreaking book—all DBT experts—have done something no one else has done before: created a curriculum based on DBT skills that can be used with a broad range of middle and high school students. The curriculum is presented in a highly structured, useful, and practical manner. As most mental health services for youth are delivered in schools, this book should be required reading for all school-based mental health professionals, teachers, and school administrators."
- David N. Miller, PhD, Division of School Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York; President, American Association of Suicidology
"DBT STEPS-A offers school administrators and school-based mental health professionals a skills-based emotion regulation curriculum for students in general education and/or alternative school-based settings. The structured lesson plans and student worksheets facilitate implementation for general education teachers and school-based personnel. The curriculum is ideal for use at the levels of both prevention and intervention in the framework of a multi-tiered system of support. The book clearly spells out the theoretical basis and rationale for the approach, and shows how to teach DBT skills in a way that students and parents can understand. Schools are often at a loss for how to help students with varying levels of complex social-emotional and behavioral problems—DBT STEPS-A addresses this need."
- Ameet N. Boleigh, EdS, NCSP, school psychologist, Aiken County Public School District, South Carolina
