Want to know more about DBT Linehan Board of Certification (DBT-LBC)?

  • Certificate vs. Certification

    Many training companies will provide attendees a certificate of completion for a DBT training. This reflects the therapist’s attendance at the training, but not necessarily their acquired knowledge or any demonstrated skill. DBT Linehan Board of Certification requires demonstration of knowledge via a standardized exam and demonstration of skill via real session recordings, which are rated for adherence to the treatment, just as treatment sessions done in the research trials are evaluated.

  • Knowledge

    The requirements of DBT-LBC certification include:

    • At least forty hours of formal training in DBT

    • Reading and comprehending the treatment manual and skills training manual

    • Proficiency in the DBT Skills, having completed homework for and having observed and/or taught all of the skills modules

  • Experience

    To be eligible to apply for certification, therapists are required to:

    • Have completed treatment with at least 3 comprehensive DBT clients and provide documentation of treatment plans and outcomes for these cases.

    • Have at least one year of experience on a DBT consultation team, prior to even beginning the certification application process.

  • Mindfulness

    To become certified, therapists must demonstrate that they have completed an intensive mindfulness training and that they maintain an ongoing mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is at the core of DBT, and therapists providing DBT are expected to practice what they teach to others.

  • Objective Assessment

    To become certified, therapists must:

    • Have an advanced degree in a mental health related field from an accredited graduate program

    • Maintain an independent license as a mental health practitioner in at least one state, without any restrictions

    • Be endorsed by their agency and/or DBT team lead

    • Pass a rigorous standardized exam on DBT

    • Demonstrate adherent delivery of DBT via session recordings with a real client

Contact Us

DBT Center of Tacoma acknowledges that certification is a time-intensive and expensive process, and that there are skilled clinicians who are unable to attain certification due to these barriers. We support scholarships that help to increase access to DBT-LBC Certification, especially for BIPOC clinicians.

We believe that certification that requires demonstration of competencies benefits the mental health field and benefits clients. We know that DBT, when done adherently, is a life-saving treatment. Therefore, we believe it is important for clients and families to know about certification and to seek out a certified DBT therapist or another therapist/program that provides adherent DBT with fidelity to the model as it was researched.

We welcome questions from current and prospective clients about our clinicians’ qualifications and training, and our progress towards program certification.