Effects of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) Program of Rural Ninth-Grade Students

A classroom guidance curriculum following the dialectical behavior therapy skills training for emotion problem solving for adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) was evaluated using a pretest–posttest nonequivalent groups quasi-experimental design. Data from 94 ninth-grade students (42 treatment, 52 control) enrolled in a rural high school were analyzed via hierarchical linear modeling. Results indicated a treatment effect on students’ self-reported social resilience and emotion regulation difficulties, indicating potential for the classroom guidance curriculum. Results from exploratory analyses also supported a treatment effect for understanding and acceptance of DBT skills. The findings have direct implications for school counselors and other school-based mental health professionals, highlighting the positive effects of proactively employing universal social and emotional learning interventions targeting the development of adolescent social and emotional skill building. A discussion on future practice and research is also included.