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Dialectical behaviour therapy skills group including stigma management: a pilot with sexual and gender minority veterans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2021

Kim Skerven ,
Lucas Mirabito ,
Mackenzie Kirkman  and
Beth Shaw
Kim Skerven*
Affiliation:
Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, 5000 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, WI53295, USA
Lucas Mirabito
Affiliation:
Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, 5000 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, WI53295, USA
Mackenzie Kirkman
Affiliation:
Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, 5000 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, WI53295, USA
Beth Shaw
Affiliation:
Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, 5000 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, WI53295, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: kimskerven@att.net
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Abstract

As a principle-driven treatment, dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) offers concepts and strategies that can be flexibly applied to address unique types of invalidation, such as stigma experienced by marginalized groups. A pilot DBT skills training group that included material on using skills to dialectically manage the effects of stigma was conducted with four sexual and gender minority (SGM) veterans. The group included standard DBT skills along with explicitly teaching about stigma commonly faced by SGM individuals and ways to apply DBT skills to the experiences of stigma. This pilot group was conducted to determine the acceptability of such a group as well as its effects on symptoms (depression, emotion regulation), use of DBT skills in daily living, and the psychological burden of stigma-related experiences. The group was well-received by participants; outcomes suggest promising trends in reducing psychological distress and increasing use of DBT skills to cope. Implications for clinical practice using a dialectical approach to stigma management and future directions are provided.

Key learning aims

  1. (1) Readers will learn about how dialectical behaviour therapy can be used to help sexual and gender minority clients effectively manage the effects of minority stress.

  2. (2) Readers will learn how taking a dialectical perspective on managing minority stress can be effective.

  3. (3) Readers will learn how delivering dialectical behaviour therapy in a manner contextualized within the clients’ experience can be effective in managing mental health symptoms.

Keywords

dialectical behaviour therapyminority stresssexual and gender minority clients
Type
Original Research
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 14 , 2021 , e33
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

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References

Further reading

Cohen, J. M., Norona, J. C., Yadavia, J. E., & Borsari, B. (2020). Affirmative dialectical behavioral therapy skills training with sexual minority veterans. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016.j.cbpra.2020.05.008 Google Scholar
Skerven, K. Whicker, D. R., & LeMaire, K. L. (2019). Applying dialectical behaviour therapy to structural and internalized stigma with LGBTQ+ clients. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 12, 1–19. doi: 10.1017/S1754470X18000235 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sloan, C. A., Berke, D. S., & Shipherd, J. C. (2017). Utilizing a dialectical framework to inform conceptualization and treatment of clinical distress in transgender individuals. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 48, 301–309. http://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000146 CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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