DBT in Schools, LLC, Seattle, WA (2026)

10/10/2026

Mental health is health.

And in schools, supporting mental health means more than responding when a student is already in crisis. It means creating spaces where young people can understand what they’re feeling, learn skills to manage difficult moments, ask for help, and know they don’t have to navigate everything alone.

As Malcolm X said, “When ‘I’ is replaced with ‘we,’ even illness becomes wellness.”
That reminder feels especially important today. Wellness is not something we build in isolation. It grows through connection, support, shared language, and communities that make room for people to be human.

This World Mental Health Day, we’re grateful for the educators, counselors, school psychologists, social workers, families, and students doing that work every day. 💛
Happy World Mental Health Day.

10/09/2026

The feedback we value most is the kind that tells us people are leaving training ready to use and implement what they learned with their students.

Trainees leave with more than just with more information.

Our promise is always that you will leave with:
With practical lessons.
With more confidence.
With tools you can bring back to students.
With ideas you're excited to put into practice.

These are real comments from recent DBT in Schools training participants, and we’re incredibly grateful for every educator and school professional who chooses to learn with us.

If you’ve been curious about what a DBT in Schools training is actually like, swipe through and hear it directly from the people who have experienced it.

Ready to experience it for yourself? Explore our upcoming training opportunities and find the training that’s right for you or your school team.

10/09/2026

“Get off your phone” isn’t much of a skill. To encourage kids to spend less time on screens, we have to give them something they can do instead.

Our favorite skill in the PLEASE skills is L (limit screen time). Technology is dialectical and the goal isn’t to make technology the enemy. Just like technology can help students navigate the world; it can also harm them in excess.

Helping students build enough options so that scrolling isn’t the only thing their brain reaches for when they’re bored, stressed, tired, or looking for stimulation.

As an educator, parent, or counselor you can encourage students to move their bodies, get creative, build connection with other students, get out in nature, and getting adequate rest. All of those give the brain and body something different.

Challenge students to one screen-free swap this week.

And if you want to learn how to bring more practical DBT skills like PLEASE in your school, join us for an upcoming DBT in Schools training and visit our website for free resources and tools.

10/03/2026

“Get off your phone” isn’t much of a skill. To encourage kids to spend less time on screens, we have to give them something they can do instead.

Our favorite skill in the PLEASE skills is L (limit screen time). Technology is dialectical and the goal isn’t to make technology the enemy. Just like technology can help students navigate the world; it can also harm them in excess.

Helping students build enough options so that scrolling isn’t the only thing their brain reaches for when they’re bored, stressed, tired, or looking for stimulation.

As an educator, parent, or counselor you can encourage students to move their bodies, get creative, build connection with other students, get out in nature, and getting adequate rest. All of those give the brain and body something different.

Challenge students to one screen-free swap this week.

And if you want to learn how to bring more practical DBT skills like PLEASE in your school, join us for an upcoming DBT in Schools training and visit our website for free resources and tools.

10/01/2026

October is ADHD Awareness Month, and we're starting with a conversation that needs a little more nuance.

Your digital habits have an effect on attention, sleep, movement, or emotional regulation.

Recent research has found connections between problematic digital media use and increases in ADHD-related symptoms. Other research suggests the relationship can work both ways: students who already struggle with impulsivity, attention, or reward sensitivity may also be more likely to develop problematic screen habits.

So instead of teaching students that screens are "bad," we can teach them to notice what their minds and bodies need.

Did I sleep enough?
Am I consuming too much content?
Have I moved my body?
Have I eaten?
Have I spent time away from constant stimulation?
What would help me regulate right now?

PLEASE reminds us that taking care of our physical needs can reduce our vulnerability to intense emotions and ineffective choices.

Technology can absolutely be part of a healthy life.

The skill is learning when to use it and when to put it down.

Bring more practical ways to teach DBT skills in your school. Explore our upcoming DBT in Schools training opportunities.

Sources: HRSA National Survey of Children's Health; JAMA Network Open; CDC.

09/24/2026

School counselors are often expected to help students regulate, problem-solve, set goals, navigate crises, and return to learning, sometimes all in the same conversation.

That’s exactly why we created our Introduction to DBT-Informed School Counseling Strategies: 2-Day Training.

On October 19–20, 2026, school counselors and student support professionals will learn practical ways to bring DBT-informed strategies into the work they’re already doing with students, including:

✔️ Using DBT strategies within an MTSS model
✔️ Identifying student goals and behavioral targets
✔️ Using chain analysis for assessment and intervention
✔️ Providing on-the-fly skills coaching when students need support in the moment

Training offers 11 CE hours and continued support.

Training gives school-based professionals practical, structured strategies they can use to better understand behavior, coach skills, and support students more effectively within the school setting.

If you’ve been looking for professional development that you can actually bring back into your counseling office, student meetings, and support plans, this training was built for you.

October 19–20, 2026
Live Virtual Training
11 CE Hours Available

Register now at dbtinschools.com

09/23/2026

The student you’re worried about may not be the student you expect.

Suicidal thoughts don’t always “look” like sadness.

A student can be funny. Social. Athletic. High-achieving. Helpful. The one who seems like they have everything together AND still be struggling.

That’s why su***de prevention in schools can’t only begin when distress becomes obvious.

It also means paying attention to changes. Changes in mood, behavior, relationships, sleep, risk-taking, school engagement, or the way a student talks about themselves and their future.

And when something doesn’t feel right, asking directly matters.

“Are you thinking about su***de?”

Asking the question does not put the idea in someone’s head. It can create an opening for a student to tell the truth about what they’re experiencing and connect with support.

Educators don’t have to diagnose, treat, or have all the answers. They do need the skills to notice, ask, respond, and follow their school’s safety procedures.

Because every student deserves to feel seen, supported, connected, and hopeful.

Bring these life skills to your students. Open enrollment training registration is now open.

Swipe through, share this with someone in your school community, and visit dbtinschools.com to explore upcoming trainings.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. In the U.S., call or text 988 for the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline.

09/18/2026

What if we didn't just tell kids to "calm down" and showed them how instead?

Dr. Elizabeth Dexter-Mazza was recently featured on the Diverse Thinking · Different Learning podcast! 🎙️

In the episode, “Teaching Kids to Manage Big Emotions: DBT Skills for Elementary Schools,” Lizz talks about how DBT skills can help younger students understand big emotions, build regulation skills, and practice strategies they can actually use in everyday life.

The episode is already getting a great response and we can't wait to hear what you think.

Thank you to the Diverse Thinking · Different Learning team for the thoughtful conversation and for helping bring these skills to more educators, families, and school communities.

🎧 Listen to the full episode:
Teaching Kids to Manage Big Emotions: DBT Skills for Elementary Schools with Dr. Elizabeth Dexter-Mazza

09/08/2026

Back to school is more than a change in schedule. For many students, it’s a full emotional transition.

New routines, teachers, classmates, academic expectations, social pressures, and less flexibility can all increase emotional demands at the same time. A student can be excited to return to school and still feel anxious, overwhelmed, irritable, withdrawn, or emotionally reactive.

When those demands start to outpace the skills a student has available in the moment, we may see avoidance, conflict, shutdown, perfectionism, refusal, or emotional outbursts. That’s why the first weeks of school are such an important time to intentionally reinforce skills.

Students may need support naming what they’re feeling, noticing what’s happening in their bodies, asking for help, tolerating distress, solving problems, managing worries, and accessing Wise Mind. These are “coping strategies” that can be taught, practiced, and strengthened over time.

And the way adults respond matters too. Sometimes support means moving beyond “You’re okay” and helping a student slow down, identify what’s happening, and choose an effective next step.

Our Back to School Transition Workbooks were created to help students reflect on the transition, identify what they may need, and reconnect with DBT skills they can use throughout the school year.

Download the Back to School Transition Workbook at dbtinschools.com/ -2026 or through the link in our bio.

09/07/2026

A schoolwide skills approach doesn’t happen because everyone has access to the same worksheet.

It happens when the adults supporting students understand the skills, know how to teach them, and can reinforce them consistently across classrooms, counseling spaces, and everyday moments.

That’s what our implementation trainings are designed to support.

Whether you’re introducing DBT skills for the first time, strengthening an existing STEPS-E program, or looking for more effective school counseling strategies, our remaining 2026 trainings are built to help educators move from knowing about the skills to actually using them with students.

Upcoming opportunities:

Sept. 23–25: DBT STEPS-A Implementation Training
Sept. 28–30: DBT STEPS-E Implementation Training
Oct. 15–16: DBT STEPS-E Booster Training
Oct. 19–20: Introduction to DBT-Informed School Counseling Strategies

These are the remaining 2026 training opportunities currently scheduled, and the September dates are coming up quickly.

If your school has been talking about strengthening emotion regulation, communication, distress tolerance, and problem-solving support for students, this is the time to move from conversation to implementation.

Explore the trainings and save your spot at dbtinschools.com.

DBT in Schools, LLC

10/10/2026

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10/03/2026

10/01/2026

09/24/2026

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