Press release: 04 September 2015
First Fellow appointed for Society of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
Professor Stephen Palmer of the Centre for Stress Management and also Institute of Work Based Learning at Middlesex University has been appointed as the first Fellow of the Society of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for his services to the organisation. The Society is a membership organisation for therapists who deliver this therapy in the UK and Ireland, and is the only UK body with affiliation to the treatment developer Professor Marsha Linehan of the University of Washington. Demand for DBT has increased significantly over the last decade, due to its effectiveness in reducing self-harming, suicidal and other high-risk behaviours for clients in intolerable emotional pain.
The Fellowship was awarded by Society President Dr Michaela Swales of the University of Bangor who said of Professor Palmer, “Without your unstinting encouragement and dogged determination the Society would never have been formed. This year is a fabulous year for the Society that you were so instrumental in forming; we have successfully launched our accreditation system and now have a small but growing register of accredited therapists, we will be running our third national – international conference in Dublin and we are welcoming the treatment developer Marsha Linehan.”
Professor Palmer who is also an Honorary Vice President of the Society for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy said, “Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is an important therapeutic approach that assists distressed clients to tackle their suicidal thoughts and self-harming behaviours. I was keen to offer my expertise and experience to help launch a professional body based in the UK and Ireland that supported Dialectical Behaviour Therapists though continuing professional development and also provided information for the public about this ground breaking approach. I am honoured and delighted to accept this Fellowship award.”
For further details about the Society for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy or any upcoming events, please visit www.sfdbt.org
Contact, Dr Christine Dunkley, Chair SfDBT, Tel: 07956 017952