DBT Feelings First Aid Trainings for schools

What Are DBT Feelings First Aid Trainings?

DBT Feelings First Aid is a set of interactive trainings specifically designed to equip your team with easy-to-implement DBT strategies to manage emotional distress, regulate behavior, and improve communication. These tools are perfect for working with students and youth who may be dealing with anxiety, emotional dysregulation, conflict, and impulsive behaviors. The trainings are designed for school counselors, therapists, special education (SPED) providers, youth workers, teachers, support staff, probation officers, outreach consultants, and justice-involved youth staff.

Our Trainings Include:

Two-Day Training for School Counselors, Therapists, SPED Providers, and Youth Workers

This two-day training is designed to provide in-depth, practical DBT skills that can be immediately applied in your work with students and youth. Through interactive exercises, role-playing, and case studies, participants will master key DBT interventions, including:

• Emotion Regulation – Learn how to help students and youth identify, understand, and manage their emotions, reducing emotional outbursts and impulsivity.
  
  
• Distress Tolerance – Equip your team with simple, powerful strategies to help students survive emotional crises without making the situation worse.
  
  
• Mindfulness – Teach mindfulness practices that help students stay grounded, reduce anxiety, and improve focus in stressful situations.
  
  
• Interpersonal Effectiveness – Provide youth with the skills to navigate relationships, handle conflicts, and communicate effectively with peers, teachers, and family members.

This two-day training equips school counselors, therapists, SPED providers, and youth workers with the essential tools to support emotional and behavioral challenges and foster a positive, emotionally supportive environment.

One-Day Training for Teachers, Support Staff, Outreach Consultants, Probation Officers, and Justice-Involved Youth Staff

This one-day training offers quick, effective DBT strategies tailored for professionals working directly with students and youth in classrooms, community settings, and justice-involved programs. Designed to be highly practical, this training provides tools to handle emotional crises, de-escalate conflicts, and support emotional regulation in fast-paced environments.

Participants will learn how to:

• Manage Emotional Crises – Teach youth how to tolerate distress and stay calm during emotional highs.
  
  
• Improve Focus and Self-Control – Use mindfulness and grounding exercises to help students and youth stay present and reduce impulsive reactions.
  
  
• Strengthen Communication Skills – Equip youth with interpersonal effectiveness strategies to improve relationships with peers, staff, and family members.
  
  

This one-day training is ideal for teachers, SPED teachers, outreach consultants, probation officers, justice-involved youth staff, and support staff who need practical interventions they can implement immediately to support emotional regulation and reduce behavioral incidents.

Why Schedule Both Trainings?

Scheduling both the two-day and one-day DBT Feelings First Aid trainings creates a unified, cohesive approach across all roles within your school, agency, or organization. When everyone—from counselors and therapists to teachers and probation officers—shares a common language and aligned strategies, the support system becomes more effective.

Benefits of Scheduling Both Trainings:

• Shared Language – Everyone working with students and youth, across different roles, will use the same DBT tools and language, providing students with consistent support whether they’re in the classroom, therapy, or community programs.
  
  
• Aligned Goals – Both trainings ensure that your team is working toward the same goal: helping students develop the skills they need to manage their emotions, reduce impulsivity, and improve relationships.
  
  
• Consistent Interventions – With all staff trained in DBT skills, students receive the same interventions, whether they’re interacting with a teacher, school counselor, or probation officer. This consistency helps students internalize these skills and use them more effectively.
  
  
• Stronger Collaboration – Training both sets of staff fosters collaboration across roles, making it easier to work together on behavior plans, emotional regulation strategies, and student success goals.

A Unified Impact on Student Success

By training both your counseling/therapeutic team and your teachers/support staff/outreach team, you create a comprehensive support network for students. Whether students are in class, in therapy, or involved in community programs, they will encounter the same DBT-based interventions, creating a stable and supportive environment. This consistency allows students to practice these skills across settings, improving their emotional regulation, relationships, and overall success.

Why Choose DBT Feelings First Aid?

DBT Feelings First Aid isn’t just about theory—it’s about giving your team real-world tools they can use immediately. These trainings are designed to be highly interactive, with plenty of practice opportunities and hands-on exercises. Your team will leave feeling confident and ready to implement these skills with students and youth right away.

If you’re looking to improve student outcomes, reduce behavioral incidents, and create a more emotionally supportive environment, these trainings are the perfect choice for your school, agency, or organization.