Family Systems Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: A Proposed Clinical Synthesis

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) has been well documented as an effective treatment for individuals with intense emotions. A comprehensive family model that addresses family systems utilizing DBT has yet to be developed. This article presents a model for DBT for a family system that goes beyond serving the individual and utilizing the family system for support. The theoretical concepts of DBT named “family systems (FS)DBT” are reviewed. The author reviews the current literature of DBT, how (FS)DBT addresses the dialectic of acceptance and change, how the complex model of individualized therapy such as DBT could be systematically applied to a complex and changing family system through psychoeducation, and the remaining phases of (FS)DBT. This proposed comprehensive model for doing (FS)DBT will have significant implications for clinicians working directly with complex FS that have multiple family members with intense emotions.