Intersession telephone contact with individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder: Lessons from dialectical behavior therapy Original Research Article

Therapists often struggle with managing intersession contact with clients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, particularly when dangerous and life-threatening symptoms are communicated (). Difficulties have arisen, in part, because previous phone contacts with this population have failed to recognize the importance of learning principles when assisting therapists in managing out-of-session contact with this population. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), a comprehensive, cognitive-behavior treatment, offers promise by providing structured telephone contacts with individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder that emphasize the role of learning principles (). This article describes the functions of DBT telephone coaching and describes several phone coaching techniques. In addition, five impediments are identified that therapists are likely to encounter when conducting and implementing DBT telephone coaching. Solutions to overcoming these impediments are addressed using the DBT model as a reference.