Are you a member yet? Membership is open to all and is the first step towards accreditation.
Janet Feigenbaum, University College London
The complex relationship between mental health and employment is transactional and unique to each individual. Thus the decision to commence (or return) to employment requires a consideration of the dialectical tension between the benefits of employment and the stressors of the workplace. At the same time, unemployment is associated with a number of social exclusion risks which will impact upon an individual’s mental health. Vocational functioning in individuals with personality disorder (and complex emotional difficulties) is more compromised than social functioning and does not improve in direct association with change in mental health symptoms. Thus vocational functioning requires specific intervention. Obtaining and retaining employment requires the ability to manage workplace emotions, behaviour, and relationships. Dialectical Behavioural Therapy DBT) addresses these key areas of dysfunction. DBT Skills for Employment (DBT-S) is an evidence based intervention which has been shown to be effective in increasing readiness for employment and employment.
This workshop will provide both CBT and DBT therapists with an understanding of the challenges of entering and remaining in employment for individuals with complex emotional needs. How the standard DBT skills have been adapted for unemployment will be described, as well as several new DBT skills created specifically for use in the workplace. DBT-SE has been evaluated for a group format, which will be described, however the individual skills may be effective for use in standard DBT and/or in CBT sessions.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Janet Feigenbaum is an Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology at University College London, Psychological Professional Lead for personality disorders, and the lead for Evidence Based Practice in Psychological Therapies, In NELFT (North East London Foundation Trust). Janet is director of the HEE funded Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Personality Disorder (PD) at UCL. Janet provides training, supervision, and consultation in DBT, CBT, and PD service development in the UK, Ireland, and Europe. She is also an International consultant trainer in DBT for British Isles DBT Training. Janet became a fellow of the BABCP in 2024. She is an accredited DBT therapist and supervisor with the Society for DBT UK and Ireland.
Janet completed intensive training in DBT in Seattle with Marsha Linehan, the originator of DBT, in 1999/2000 while director of research for the Oscar Hill Service for PD where she led on a naturalistic RCT of the effectiveness of DBT in the NHS. In 2003 she moved to NELFT and established one of the 11 National Pilot sites for interventions for personality disorder funded by the Department of Health (DDART; specialising in providing DBT and CBT for individuals with PD and co-morbid substance abuse). The service was successfully devolved and widened the remit to become IMPART. In September 2012 IMPART was selected by NHS England as one of three UK IAPT SMI demonstration sites for the treatment of people with PD.
In 2015 Janet and her co-applicants were awarded a five year NIHR programme grant to develop and evaluate DBT-Skills for Employment in the UK (EMPOWER). Over the past two years Janet has delivered national webinars on the delivery of DBT by telehealth, and on working with cognitions in DBT.