8 days DBT Education with Professor Martin Bohus on TF-DBT in Stockholm

Prof. Emeritus Martin Bohus has worked with DBT since 1994 with inpatient and outpatients in Germany.He has a long clinical experience and research experience. He is the President for the European DBT Society.

Martin Bohus received his specialty in Psychiatry and in Psychosomatic Medicine.

Since 2003 he has held the Chair of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at Heidelberg University and is Scientific Director at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim. He holds a visiting professorship at the University of Antwerp and Harvard Medical School. He has received several awards for psychotherapy research. He is past president of the European Society for the Studies of Personality Disorders (ESSPD) and is president of the German Association for DBT. He was president and initiator of the 1st International Congress on Borderline Personality Disorder in Berlin in 2010. He has currently published more than 300 articles and book chapters, mainly on mechanisms of psychotherapy, borderline personality disorders, and PTSD.

Trauma-Focused Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (TF-DBT) is an evidence-based further development of Standard Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) developed for the treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), and the frequent co-occurrence of both disorders.

While Standard DBT has become the treatment of choice for severe emotion dysregulation and self-destructive behaviour, many patients continue to experience persistent trauma-related symptoms, including intrusive memories, dissociation, shame, disturbed self-concepts and chronic interpersonal difficulties. TF-DBT extends the original DBT model by integrating trauma-focused interventions into the established behavioural framework while fully preserving the principles, treatment hierarchy and philosophy of Standard DBT. TF-DBT is based on three complementary scientific foundations: the Biosocial Theory of DBT (Linehan, 1993), the Dual Memory Theory of traumatic stress (Brewin et al., 1996; Brewin, 2014), and contemporary models of Inhibitory Learning as the basis for exposure therapy (Craske et al., 2022).

Building upon these models, TF-DBT distinguishes between Trauma-Associated Alarm Networks, which are primarily modified through formal exposure, and Trauma-Associated Self-Concepts, understood as idiosyncratic affective networks that are transformed through experiential interventions including Wise Mind imagery, Radical Acceptance, self-validation and compassion-focused learning.

TF-DBT is delivered as a blended treatment programme integrating individual psychotherapy, structured DBT skills training and an extensive patient workbook (Bohus et al., Guilford University, in press). Beyond the traditional DBT Skills Manual, patients work continuously with a comprehensive workbook containing psychoeducational materials, structured worksheets, behavioural exercises, guided Wise Mind imagery and exposure-related assignments. This blended format promotes continuous therapeutic learning between sessions and facilitates the transfer of newly acquired competencies into everyday life.

The curriculum follows the sequential structure of TF-DBT treatment. Participants first acquire competencies in behavioural control, behavioural case formulation and preparation for trauma-focused work. They subsequently learn to conduct formal exposure targeting Trauma-Associated Alarm Networks, to manage dissociation and complex emotional responses, and to facilitate the modification of Trauma-Associated Self-Concepts through structured experiential interventions, including Wise Mind imagery, Radical Acceptance, self-validation and compassion-focused learning.

Finally, the curriculum addresses recovery, identity development, interpersonal functioning and relapse prevention. Teaching combines lectures, video-demonstrations, supervised role-play, behavioural rehearsal, case discussions and competency-based supervision. Particular emphasis is placed on treatment fidelity, clinical decision-making and the integration of scientific knowledge into everyday clinical practice.

TF-DBT is supported by an expanding empirical evidence base. 2 large randomised controlled trials have demonstrated its efficacy in patients with complex trauma, and recent international multicentre data indicate superiority over Standard DBT in reducing self-injurious behaviour and improving borderline-specific psychopathology (Bohus et al.,2013; 2020; Kleindienst et al., 2021; Vonderlin et al., 2025; Vonderlin et al., in prep.). The aim of this curriculum is to establish an internationally standardised training programme that enables therapists to competently and safely deliver TF-DBT while maintaining fidelity to the principles of Standard DBT and integrating the latest advances in trauma-focused psychotherapy.