Pre-treatment

These are the first 2-3 sessions in which (1) the therapist and the client discover if they can work together, and whether or not the client is willingly entering therapy—without coercion, as well as (2) discussion of specifics of DBT, and (3) the establishment of the 1 year therapy agreement. 1 year is generally the minimum requirement for engaging in DBT with adults (Vaughn, 2018).

 Another critical discussion is the client agreement to do no self-harm or attempt suicide. This is not to say, the client will be terminated if they do self-harm or attempt suicide, it is starting point toward establishing safety (Linehan, 2015).