Marsha Linehan
Marsha Linehan is the driving force behind the creation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). This extremely successful, and widely adapted style of treatment was originally developed for the treatment of suicidal behaviors and has since expanded to treatment of many of the behaviour traits associated with personality disorders, in particular Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), it supports people experiencing Addiction related issues, along with many other severe and complex mental disorders, particularly those that involve serious emotion dysregulation.
In comparison to all other clinical interventions for suicidal behaviors, DBT is the only treatment that has shown to be extremely effective in multiple trials across several independent research studies. It has been shown both effective in reducing suicidal behavior and cost-effective in comparison to both standard treatment and community treatments delivered by expert therapists. It is currently the gold-standard treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder, a diagnosis that Marsha Linehan herself campaigned to have changed to Emotional Dysregulation Disorder, in an attempt to remove the stigma attached to this particular diagnosis.
Dr. Linehan has written four books, including two treatment manuals: Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder and Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder, along with her personal memoir, Building a Life Worth Living. She served on a number of editorial boards and has published extensively in scientific journals. She is also the founder of Behavioral Tech LLC, an organization that provides DBT training to mental health professionals and healthcare systems. She is also co-founder of DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (DBT-LBC), an organization that clearly identifies providers and programs that reliably offer DBT that conforms to the evidence-based research for the treatment.
The following is a series of links providing more information on the work of Dr. Linehan.