DBT Essentials in Practice

Stop wondering what to do next in session.

A 4-part live, practical DBT skills training for client-facing clinicians — the actual worksheets, scripts and tools, worked through step by step, exactly as you’d use them in session. So you feel genuinely confident, effective and useful with almost every client you see.

4-part live series — standalone or bundle Live online — Zoom CPD eligible Client-facing clinicians

Dates TBC — register now to be notified first

The difference between a new clinician and a confident clinician is rarely compassion. It’s having a framework.

Have you ever left a session thinking…

—“I don’t think I handled that well.”
—“I wish I’d known what to say.”
—“I can feel this client needs more from me — and I’m not sure what.”
—“I have empathy, but empathy alone isn’t changing anything.”
—“I keep hearing about DBT, but I don’t know how to actually use it.”
—“I want practical tools — not another theory workshop.”

If any of this lands, you’re exactly who this was built for. Because most clinicians don’t struggle because they care too little — they struggle because nobody ever taught them what to do when caring isn’t enough.

Why this series exists

Most graduate programs teach theory. Few teach what to do in the room when a client is overwhelmed, emotionally flooded, avoidant, stuck, self-critical, impulsive, or unable to change. That’s where DBT comes in — not as a diagnosis-specific treatment, but as one of the most practical frameworks available for helping people change.

I’ve spent years in clinical practice — across private practice and hospital settings — with intensive DBT training, working out which skills matter most, how to explain them to clients who’ve never heard of DBT, what clients consistently misunderstand, and what actually changes things in session versus what only sounds good in theory.

I’ve also run DBT groups with adults and adolescents, which gave me a different layer of insight again — you watch what resonates immediately, what people bring back the following week, and what gets quietly abandoned despite everyone nodding along. That observational knowledge informs every part of this series.

This series gives you that — already distilled, tested and operationalised. We go through the actual worksheets, step by step, exactly as you’d use them with a real client. Not an overview. Not theory. The practical doing of it — so you leave knowing how to use these tools immediately. Once you have them, the imposter feeling lifts, because you know you have something that genuinely helps the person in front of you.

— Isabella Lay, Clinical Psychologist, intensively DBT trained

Isabella Lay, Clinical Psychologist — 90 seconds

Watch before reading on

Why learn this from Isabella

Over years of clinical practice, Isabella has worked extensively with severe emotional dysregulation, chronic suicidality and self-harm, borderline personality presentations, complex trauma, ADHD, attachment difficulties, and high-conflict relationships. She has delivered DBT in both individual therapy and group settings — seeing firsthand which skills create lasting change and which are most often misunderstood. This training distils years of clinical experience into a practical framework you can apply in your own work immediately.

There’s a real difference between knowing DBT and having used it repeatedly with real clients across diverse presentations, cultures and settings. It shows up in the room — knowing when a skill won’t land, how to adapt an explanation for a client with ADHD, what to do when a worksheet creates more distress than it resolves, and which interventions create change versus which ones clients nod at and never use. That clinical judgment is what you’re getting access to.

This series focuses on the practical skills — the tools you reach for in session. The relational and attunement layer of clinical work is covered in a separate Applied Brain Co program.

Why DBT skills matter

Whether a client presents with anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, burnout, relationship difficulties or emotional overwhelm, the same underlying challenges keep appearing: difficulty tolerating distress, difficulty regulating emotion, difficulty staying present, and difficulty communicating effectively. DBT’s four skill areas target these directly — which is why clinicians reach for them again and again, across vastly different presentations, applied with clinical judgment for each individual client.

What makes this different from every other DBT training

→The actual worksheets — worked through step by step, exactly as you’d use them with a client
→How to explain each skill in plain language clients actually understand
→What clients consistently misunderstand — and how to address it in the moment
→Common mistakes clinicians make with each skill — and how to avoid them
→Scripts for introducing, teaching and debriefing each skill in session
→Clinical judgment on who each skill is right for — and who it isn’t
→How to adapt for ADHD, ASD, trauma, high distress, and resistant or sceptical clients
→Real client patterns — what you’ll actually encounter and how to respond
→Live Q&A and practice — not passive learning

The four parts

Part 1

Mindfulness in real clinical sessions

Wise mind, observe/describe/participate, and the “how” skills — taught as you’d actually introduce them to a client who’s sceptical or can’t sit still. Includes who mindfulness is wrong for, and what to reach for instead. Full curriculum coming soon — register to receive the complete outline before launch.

Part 2

Emotion regulation skills

Opposite action, check the facts, PLEASE, and building mastery — including the sequencing that makes or breaks them, and why opposite action gets dismissed when introduced too early. Full curriculum coming soon — register to receive the complete outline before launch.

Part 3

Distress tolerance

TIPP, STOP, radical acceptance and self-soothe — taught with the thing manuals leave out: why clients say TIPP “doesn’t work” (timing, almost every time) and how to get them using it before they’re already over threshold. Full curriculum coming soon — register to receive the complete outline before launch.

Part 4

Interpersonal effectiveness & relational skills

DEAR MAN, GIVE and FAST — and the clinical judgment of which to prioritise when a client wants the outcome, the relationship and their self-respect all at once and can’t have all three. Full curriculum coming soon — register to receive the complete outline before launch.

The clinician you’ll become

The goal isn’t memorising worksheets. It’s becoming the clinician who:

✓Knows what to do when emotions escalate
✓Has practical interventions ready in almost every session
✓Can explain skills in ways clients actually understand
✓Feels less anxious before difficult appointments
✓Stops second-guessing every clinical decision
✓Leaves sessions feeling effective rather than uncertain

Because confidence doesn’t come from knowing more theory. It comes from knowing what to do.

Who this is for

Provisional psychologistsYou’re seeing clients now. These are the skills that help you feel like you belong in the room.

Early career psychologistsYou have the qualification. This gives you the clinical fluency that usually comes with years of experience — accelerated.

Counsellors & psychotherapistsRegistered with ACA, PACFA or equivalent. You work with dysregulated clients and want a precise, evidence-based toolkit you can reach for with almost anyone.

Social workers & allied healthClient-facing, working with complex presentations. These skills translate directly into your practice, regardless of discipline.

Program details

FormatLive online — Zoom

DurationApprox. 3 hours per part, including Q&A and practice

Structure4 standalone parts — attend one or all four

DatesTBC — register to be notified first

Delivered byIsabella Lay, Clinical Psychologist, intensively DBT trained

Group sizeSmall cohort — maximum 10 participants per part

IncludesActual DBT worksheets, scripts, adaptations, live Q&A and practice

CPD eligibleYes — confirm with your registering body

Program typeProfessional clinical training — not therapy or supervision

The investment

Most clinicians don’t become confident because they attend one course. They become confident because they accumulate frameworks that help them understand what they’re seeing in the room. This workshop is one of those frameworks. For roughly the equivalent of 2–3 client sessions, you’ll gain a skillset you’ll draw on across hundreds of future sessions.

Single part — founding rate

$597 AUD

For roughly the equivalent of 2–3 client sessions — skills you’ll draw on for the rest of your career.

✓Approx. 3 hours of live clinical training on Zoom
✓Delivered by an intensively DBT-trained clinical psychologist
✓The actual DBT worksheets — worked through step by step
✓Scripts, adaptations, common mistakes, real client patterns
✓Clinical judgment on who each skill is right for — and who it isn’t
✓Live Q&A and in-session practice
✓Small cohort — maximum 10 participants
✓CPD certificate with hours logged

Which part are you most interested in? Tick any that fit.

Part 1 — Mindfulness in real clinical sessions Part 2 — Emotion regulation skills Part 3 — Distress tolerance Part 4 — Interpersonal effectiveness

No payment now. We’ll confirm dates and send details. Delivered online — open to clinicians worldwide. Additional session times may be scheduled for UK, European and North American time zones based on demand.

All four parts — founding bundle

$1,997 AUD

Saves $391 on individual pricing

All four parts — the complete essential DBT skills toolkit: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness. Everything you need to feel genuinely competent in the room, with almost every client who walks through the door.

✓All four parts — approx. 12 hours of live clinical training
✓Complete DBT worksheets, scripts and adaptations toolkit
✓Live Q&A and practice in every part
✓Small cohort — maximum 10 participants per part
✓CPD certificate for each part
✓Priority notification for all future Applied Brain Co professional programs

Frequently asked questions

No. This is professional clinical training and education. You will not enter a therapeutic relationship with the facilitator and this program does not constitute clinical supervision toward your registration hours.

No prior DBT training is required. This series is designed for clinicians with varying levels of familiarity — from those who’ve heard of DBT but never used it in session, to those who’ve used some skills and want to deepen their clinical application and confidence.

Each part is completely standalone and can be attended independently, in any order. Start with whichever skill area is most relevant to your current clinical work. The bundle gives you all four at a reduced price.

No — and knowing who it’s right for is part of what Part 1 covers. Some clients are sceptical or find mindfulness culturally incongruent. Some have ADHD or attention profiles that make sustained present-moment practice inaccessible or shaming rather than helpful. And for clients in genuine threat mode — acute crisis, active trauma response, real-world danger — mindfulness is the wrong tool for the moment, regardless of its long-term value. Clinical judgment about fit, readiness and what the client actually needs right now is central to this training.

This qualifies as structured professional development and CPD for most registered health professionals. You’ll receive a certificate with hours logged. Confirm eligibility with your registering body — AHPRA, AASW, ACA, PACFA and most equivalents recognise structured professional development of this kind.

No. This is professional education content, not therapy, and does not attract Medicare rebates.

No — full payment upfront is required to secure your spot. Given the small cohort size of maximum 10 participants, places cannot be held without payment.

No. Sessions are not recorded and no recording will be made available. The live format — including the Q&A, practice and real-time discussion — is core to the experience and ensures the value stays within the cohort.

Payments are non-refundable. If you’re unable to attend a particular part or need to withdraw, contact us and we’ll do our best to re-enrol you into the equivalent part in a subsequent cohort if and when one runs. This is not guaranteed — future cohorts depend on demand and availability.

This program is professional clinical training. If you find yourself needing personal therapeutic support, that’s a separate need. Australian-based participants can visit isabellalaypsychology.com.au for clinical services.

The skills are learnable. The clinical judgment of when and how to use them is what this transfers.

Founding cohort — small group, limited places.