Public and Private Schools

Home Training Custom Designed Programs and Presentations For Schools, Organizations, and Businesses Public and Private Schools
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We consult to school administrators, teachers, and clinical staff, to build and strengthen their CBT and DBT services for students/clients of all ages.

Our standard school/agency-based program includes:

  • Orientation and commitment workshop
  • Three-to-five day workshop of DBT and CBT foundations and skills training
  • Implementation workshop with key stakeholders
  • Ongoing bi-weekly consultation for at least two years

CBT in Schools

Dr. McGinn has developed a curriculum for CBT to target youth with anxiety and depressive disorders (Leahy, R.L., Holland, S. & McGinn, L.K., 2011; McGinn, L.K. & Sanderson, W. C., 1999; McGinn, L.K & Hofmann, 2016). CBT is an evidence-based intervention that can be used to treat students with a wide range of problems and conditions. This model trains school personnel to deliver CBT interventions and is considered primary, secondary and tertiary prevention with several goals in mind:

  • Providing a common social-emotional skills-based language for all students, teachers, clinicians, and administrators
  • These skills can be taught early in the child’s life with the hope of preventing and averting some of the more challenging problems that arise in later adolescence
  • Providing CBT to students already exhibiting significant stress, anxiety, and depressive disorders allows the school to manage and maintain these students within the district rather than having to pay for the student to attend out-of-district placements
  • Providing CBT in schools reduces school absences and psychiatric and medical hospitalization visits.
  • Providing CBT improves emotional, behavioral and academic outcomes
  • Providing CBT can help reduce staff and administrator burnout by providing everyone with the necessary tools to effect change in many students

DBT in Schools

Dr. Miller and his colleagues have developed two types of DBT for schools: Comprehensive DBT and Universal DBT.

Comprehensive DBT

(Miller, Rathus & Linehan, 2007; Rathus & Miller, 2015) Targets youth who exhibit at least some degree of emotional and behavioral dysregulation and uses all of the DBT modes of treatment. This model is more broadly considered secondary and tertiary prevention interventions and often pull students out of class for skills group.

Universal DBT

(DBT Skills Training in Schools: The Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents; DBT STEPS-A, Mazza, Mazza, Miller, Rathus & Murphy, 2016) This program is intended for teachers to teach DBT skills in a classroom setting.

Some schools have opted to conduct both types of DBT offering primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions within the school with several goals in mind:

  • Providing a common social-emotional skills-based language for all students, teachers, clinicians, and administrators
  • These skills can be taught early in the child’s life with the hope of preventing and averting some of the more challenging problems that arise in later adolescence
  • Providing comprehensive DBT to students already exhibiting significant emotional and behavioral dysregulation allows the school to manage and maintain these students within the district rather than having to pay for the student to attend out-of-district placements
  • Providing comprehensive DBT in schools often reduces ER, psychiatric and medical hospitalization visits, while keeping kids in school
  • Providing DBT improves emotional, behavioral and academic outcomes
  • Providing DBT is an evidence-based intervention that can be used transdiagnostically hence having greater applicability to a broader number of students
  • Providing DBT can help reduce staff and administrator burnout by providing everyone with the necessary tools to effect change in many students
  • DBT is school friendly in that DBT skills can be taught in classrooms and groups

Complete List of Schools

  • Far Rockaway, NY, High School (2001-2002)

  • PS 8 Elementary School Bronx, NY/Montefiore School Health (2002-2012)

  • Lincoln HS, Portland Oregon (2007-present) Jim Hanson

  • Ardsley School District, (2008-present) Presented data at conferences (Catucci et al.; Mason et al)

  • Pleasantville Union Free School District, NY (2009-present)*** (UC-DBT 2020)

  • Mamaroneck Union Free School District, NY (2010-present)

  • Scarsdale School District, NY (2010-2012)

  • Rockland County BOCES, NY (2012 – Present)

  • Riverview High School, NY (2012-Present)

  • Hilltop Elementary School, NY (2012-Present)

  • City School District of New Rochelle, NY (2012-2019)

  • CBI Tech (2013-Present)

  • Florida Union Free School District (2013-2018)

  • Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District, NY (2013-2016)

  • Astor School Child and Adolescent Day Treatment Programs (2013-Present)

  • Hastings-on-Hudson School Districts, NY (2014-2016)

  • Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES, Yorktown, NY (2015-present)

  • Robert Louis Stevenson HS, NYC (2015-Present)

  • Westport, CT Staples High School (2015-Present)** (UC-DBT 2021)

  • Southern Westchester, BOCES HS, White Plains, NY (2015-Present)

  • Harrison City School District, NY (2016-Present)

  • Mount Vernon City School District, NY(2016-Present)

  • White Plains City School District, NY (2016-Present) (UC-DBT 2022)

  • Yorktown Central School District, NY (2016-Present)

  • IDEAL School of Manhattan, NYC (2016-2018)

  • Katonah-Lewisboro Union Free School District (2016-Present)

  • Bronxville Union Free School District (2016-present)- ** (UC-DBT)

  • Hendrick Hudson Central School District (2016-Present)

  • Lakeland Central School District (2016-Present)

  • Ramapo Central School District (2017-Present)

  • Washingtonville Central School District (2017-Present)

  • St. Christopher’s School (2017-2018)

  • Trumbull Public Schools, CT (2017-2020)**

  • Fairfield Public Schools, CT (2017-Present)** (UC-DBT 2021)

  • Dobbs Ferry School District, NY (2017-Present)

  • Eastchester Union Free School District, NY (2017-Present)

  • Mount Pleasant Central School District, NY (2018-Present)

  • Norwalk Public Schools, CT (2018-Present)

  • Pocantico Hills Central School, NY (2018-Present)

  • Public Schools of the Tarrytowns, NY (2018-Present)**

  • Garrison Union Free School District, NY (2018-Present)

  • Haldane Central School District, NY (2018-Present)

  • Pelham Public Schools, NY (2018-Present)**

  • Darien School District, CT (2018-Present)

  • Monroe-Woodbury Central School District, NY (2018-Present)

  • Weston Central School District, CT (2019-Present)**

  • CiTi BOCES, Mexico, NY (2019-Present)

  • Cabarrus County Schools, North Carolina (2019-present)**

  • Ridgefield School District, CT (2019-present)

  • Green Chimneys School and Residential program, Brewster, NY (2019-Present)

  • Ridgefield School District, CT (2019-present)

  • Valhalla Public Schools, NY (2020-)

  • Hartford Public Schools, CT (2021-)

  • Rye Public Schools, NY (2021-

  • Easton Redding District 9, CT (2021-)

  • North Rockland Public Schools, NY (2021-)

  • Easton, Redding Region 9, CT (2021-)

  • Port Chester NY (2021-)

  • New Canaan CT (2021-)

  • North Rockland-Haverstraw School District, NY (2021-)

  • Naugatuck School District CT (2021-)

  • Nanuet Union Free School District (2021-present)**

  • Edgemont Union Free School District (2022-present)

  • Wilton School District (2022-present)

  • Blind Brook UFSD (2022-present)

  • North Salem CSD (2022-present)

  • Ossining School District (2023-present)

  • Cornwall School District (2023-present)


**Implementing STEPS-A or Universal Classroom DBT and Comprehensive School-Based DBT