The Skills Training Manual for Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide for Treating Disorders of Overcontrol

I am a 5th year clinical psychology graduate student who has practiced with a number of different treatment manuals over the course of my clinical training (e.g., DBT, Schema Focused Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy), and I can say that the RO DBT skills manual is hands-down the best one I’ve encountered to date, as well as being a requisite component of Dr. Thomas Lynch’s Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Theory and Practice for Treating Disorders of Overcontrol (see: https://www.amazon.com/Radically-Open-Dialectical-Behavior-Therapy/dp/1626259283/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1626259283&pd_rd_r=A6DCRCRWZTYW844Z1WH9&pd_rd_w=weBsM&pd_rd_wg=Zuoe1&psc=1&refRID=A6DCRCRWZTYW844Z1WH9&dpID=51jxJpJnlEL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=detail). It is arranged in an organized manner that simplifies instruction, and is extremely user-friendly in terms of its diagrams, instructions, teaching tips, worksheets, and supplemental exercises. I particularly appreciate Dr. Lynch's inclusion of techniques and protocols to use when troubleshooting common issues among OC classes, as these are often the most frequent questions that come up for me when learning new approaches. Although I have yet to run one of these classes, I have begun integrating RO skills with my individual clients and in my own life, and the results have been nothing short of astounding. THIS STUFF WORKS! I highly urge anyone interested in improving their therapeutic and interpersonal effectiveness to check out this manual.

RO-DBT is a highly effective psychotherapy and provides effective strategies for effective treatment planning and interventions for some of the most difficult to reach client groups.The training across three levels is superb. This book is essential for anyone beginning the RO-DBT journey or who has a clinical interest in OCD, Anorexia Nervosa and other areas of over control.

In a well organized and coherent volume based on years of research and development, Dr. Lynch provides step by step guidance for teaching the RO DBT skills in a class setting. Skills class worksheets and handouts are found in the same chapter as the instructor's lesson plan. Varied methods for learning in a classroom setting are creative and are in and of themselves interventions for problematic overcontrol tendencies. As a clinician trained in this model and co-teaching RO DBT skills classes, I have been very impressed with the effectiveness of these skills, especially for people with significant overcontrol coping style for whom other psychotherapeutic interventions have had limited yield. In my experience to date using this model, participants with even moderate overcontrol tendencies have endorsed great benefit from RO DBT. Highly recommended if you wish to serve populations experiencing disorders of overcontrol.

Love this book! Yet, finding it impossible to replicate the worksheets for my clinical practice with clients. Is there a way to access pdf copies of the worksheets accompanying this book?

I’ve completed the 10-day training in RO-DBT and this manual is obviously useful for skills class. I love the concepts in this model but the manual is too dense and language is inaccessible to most users. It is very difficult to run a comprehensive RO program for this reason, but I still recommend the training and use many of these skills intermittently for my patients.

This book is a companion to Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Theory and Practice for Treating Disorders of Overcontrol. That book provides an amazing overview of OC and how to practice RO-DBT, and this manual provides the concrete skills that OC clients will practice in the course of treatment (so you really need both if you are going to use RO-DBT). Disregarding the actual content, the manual is incredibly well put together and easy to follow. I like it a lot better than other manuals I've used before. In terms of the actual skills themselves, the rationale for using each skill is very clear. I am very impressed with this manual.

RO DBT is a treatment for individuals with maladaptive overcontrol. This Skills Training Manual is a comprehensive guide for the clinician leading the skills class component of RO DBT. It provides step by step details, developed from over 20 years of research, as to how clinicians can teach necessary skills to overcontrolled individuals, such as how to forgive themselves and others, be more open minded and flexible, cope with shame, act more spontaneously, be more open in their emotional expression, and more. As an intensively trained RO DBT therapist for over 2 years, I have seen the skills make a significant difference for the clients I see. Highly recommended.

If traditional DBT hasn’t been as successful as you hoped this approach may be the answer. If you suffer from disorders of over control such as OCD, eating disorders, healing from abusive relationship this branch of DBT is designed for that. You learn the traditional DBT skills plus skills that include self compassion and self forgiveness. Honestly, skills that everyone could benefit from.

The patients who benefit from RO DBT, once treated and if it is successful the patient is most likely then able to become a “valuable” member of society as patients who have traits of over controlled behaviours are seen as pro social. They are doers, savers, planners and fixers of the world.This is a quote from the book. It fills me with so much hope.I’ve never felt so much relief when my care coordinator said to me that I need RO DBT to help with overcontrol issues. I knew that reading about standard DBT just wasn’t “me”. I don’t fit into the box as someone that has Emotionally unstable personality disorder and I feel like I’ve been screaming into a wind tunnel to all of the doctors I have seen that it’s just not me. I’ve always said I feel like a square peg being forced into a round hole with standard DBT, not only is it destroying me, but the people who are working with me are exhausted too.Then my CPN told me she believes I am the direct opposite end of the spectrum of EUPD and have Overcontrol issues. I’ve never felt so much relief when she told me about this. So I got this book and I am working through it solo.I will be honest, from a therapeutic point of view it will not work for me to do this on my own because one of the fundamental parts is that you need someone to lead and guide you through this and act as your “tribe leader” and for you to learn how show emotions and mirror your leader. I’m currently learning this from a clinicians point of view. I just hope I can get someone to deliver this therapy now I believe I’ve found the answer to my problem.If you feel like standard DBT doesn’t make sense, if like me you live by “rules”, you don’t have explosive anger… but yet feel like you attack yourself internally and mostly - you feel like you just don’t fit in and feel like a stranger, observing people from afar in a strange land… always watching and rarely being able to participate, I strongly recommend to read into RO DBT.This book is a one stop shop. Not only does it have all the training material, but it also has the work sheets too. I’m glad I bought this.

Very good program for people with OC issues. I benefitted from doing this program.

An excellent addition to the treatment world addressing a gap in structured treatment protocols. This will help many who are struggling. It would be nice to see more training opportunities in North America.

I’m a therapist and use all this book all the time