Dr. Shaller will present a basic overview of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), a type of talk therapy for people who experience intense emotions. DBT is an empirically supported treatment for suicidal behavior, self-harm, and emotional disregulation. She will discuss considerations for referral and ways to find care for the young person in your life who struggles with strong emotions. The presentation will be followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.

 

Esme A. L. Shaller, PhD, is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), which she joined in 2007. At UCSF, she helped build the Wavefront Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Clinic, for which she serves as Clinical Director. Both Dr. Shaller and the Wavefront DBT Clinic are certified by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification. She is a past president of the International Society for the Improvement and Teaching of DBT. She recently published her first book, Therapy-Interfering Behavior in DBT.   Dr. Shaller’s central passions are teaching and the dissemination of DBT, particularly for adolescents and families. She devotes most of her time to teaching and training, both within UCSF’s residency and fellowship programs, and across California and the United States. She has worked with other members of the Wavefront team to implement comprehensive DBT for low-income teens in three Bay Area counties. Dr. Shaller received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with highest honors from UC Berkeley, and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York, Stony Brook.