The use of dialectical behavior therapy skills training as stand-alone treatment: a systematic review of the treatment outcome literature.

OBJECTIVE Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills training is currently being administered as stand-alone treatment across a variety of clinical settings, serving diverse client populations. However, there is little empirical support for this use. METHOD In this systematic review, we identified 17 trials employing a treatment that included DBT skills training in the absence of the other DBT modalities. RESULTS While the literature reviewed provides preliminary evidence of the utility of DBT skills training to address a range of mental health and behavioral problems, methodological limitations of published studies preclude us from drawing strong conclusions about the efficacy of skills training as a stand-alone treatment. CONCLUSION We present an overview of the implementation of DBT skills training across clinical settings and populations. We found preliminary evidence supporting the use of DBT skills training as a method of addressing a range of behaviors. We provide recommendations for future research.