The Role of the Team in Managing Telephone Consultation in Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Three Case Examples

Standard, outpatient Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) includes the provision of intersession telephone contact between the therapist and the client to reduce suicidal crisis behaviors, enhance skills generalization, and reduce alienation and conflict in the therapeutic relationship. Therapists providing telephone consultation need the help of the team to stay within the goals and targets of DBT, manage therapy-interfering behavior and avoid burnout. The article offers 3 case examples illustrating problematic telephone behaviors of both clients and therapists in DBT and discusses the role of the team in consulting to the therapist when difficulties arise.