Adapted dialectical behaviour therapy skills group service evaluation

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of an adapted dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) treatment programme for individuals with an intellectual disability, via completion of a service evaluation.,Outcome measurements were competed at pre-, post- and 12 months follow-up, and the effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using a Friedman analysis.,Findings demonstrated that the treatment group showed significant differences in their “psychological distress” scores, but no significant differences were found in their “psychological well-being”, “anxiety” or “quality of life” (WHO-QOL) scores over time.,Overall, the current study adds to the small but growing literature that supports using the skills training group part of DBT as a stand-alone psychological intervention when working with people with an intellectual disability.