87. DBT for New Clinicians: Mastering Dialectical Behavioral Therapy with Shelby Finley

This week we are joined by Shelby Finley, a Clinic Director for Ellie Mental Health in Kansas City. Shelby shares her expertise on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), a modality that is especially useful for newer clinicians.

The conversation covers the foundational components of DBT, including mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation. Shelby explains why DBT is beneficial for new therapists and how it can be applied to various diagnoses beyond Borderline Personality Disorder.

The episode also explores practical skills like TIPP (Temperature change, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, and Progressive muscle relaxation) and the importance of recognizing and managing emotions for effective therapy. Miranda and Shelby discuss the integration of DBT with other therapeutic modalities and the transformative impacts it can have on both clients and therapists. Tune in to learn how you can implement these DBT strategies into your practice.

LINKS:

Marsha Linehan's book: https://amzn.to/4hJmvVH

PMR Recording: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7jTsJbdEh7SOR0OOwnORBP?si=3809c5b2cb5e4439

OUR HOST:

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for several years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, case manager, and the Director of Brand Content at Ellie Mental Health. Follow her on⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn.⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ellie Mental Health⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of thriving by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, LICSW and a rotating cast of seasoned therapists. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise to help us learn how to thrive as therapists.⁠⁠

Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and has expanded to an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

TIMESTAMPS:

00:16 Meet Shelby Finley: Clinic Director and Therapist

00:58 Why DBT is Essential for New Clinicians

03:58 The Foundations of DBT

06:16 Applying DBT Skills in Therapy

12:29 Distress Tolerance: Handling Crisis Moments

13:19 The TIPP Skill: Temperature, Intense Exercise, and More

19:35 Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Paced Breathing

24:54 Practicing Skills in Therapy

26:44 Interpersonal Effectiveness

34:48 Emotional Regulation and Wise Mind

38:47 Integrating EMDR with DBT

42:09 Resources and Training for DBT

45:59 Conclusion and Future Discussions