Integration of DBT skills and parent training for parents with a history of substance use, Oregon, 2021-2022

In an effort towards significantly reducing the intergenerational transmission of a wide range of mental disorders by intervening on parenting practices and clinically significant emotional dysregulation in parents and their preschool aged children, the study pilot tests an integrated mental health and parenting intervention delivered via telehealth for 12 emotionally dysregulated parents with a history of substance misuse, in order to complete several foundational steps prior to conducting a larger scale randomized controlled trial. The 20-week group therapy integrates two evidence-based interventions: 1) Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills - targeting parental emotion dysregulation and substance misuse, and 2) Parent Training (PT) - targeting parenting behaviors linked to children’s mental health. The telehealth format enhances the scalability of the intervention and reduces many of the common barriers to access that parents face when seeking treatment for themselves or their children.