International Society
for the Improvement and Teaching
of Dialectical Behavior Therapy
What is ISITDBT?
ISITDBT is the International Society for the Improvement and Teaching of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It is a volunteer organization with the sole task of organizing an annual conference to bring together DBT clinicians from around the US and around the globe.
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a system of behavior therapy developed by Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, ABPP, a professor of psychology and a researcher at the University of Washington, to treat people with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
DBT combines standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation with concepts of distress tolerance, acceptance, and mindful awareness largely derived from Zen practice.
Annual Conference
The first ISITDBT conference was held in 1996 and was chaired by Dr. Charles Swenson. The ISITDBT conference aims to provide workshops for clinical development of DBT skills or DBT program development, as well as research panels to disseminate information about the ongoing evidence base that underlies DBT.
The ISITDBT conference is held on the Thursday of the annual conference of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT).