A call to increase cultural responsiveness and accessibility of dialectical behavior therapy: Commentary on Jakubovic and Drabick (2023).

Abstract

This commentary is both about dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and not about DBT-it is a dialectic. We briefly summarize key strengths from the Jakubovic and Drabick (2023) article and contextualize the findings, particularly as they relate to communities that are most likely to be impacted by disparities mentioned by the authors in their introduction. Specifically, we briefly discuss health inequities as they impact youth who are Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) and/or LGBTQ+. Relatedly, we review and discuss the importance of increasing cultural responsiveness when delivering DBT, particularly within adolescent populations. Finally, we call to action mental health professionals to engage in advocacy, including within policymaking processes, in order to increase access to DBT and expand its reach to communities that are most in need of its utility.We begin by providing a positionality statement: One of the four coauthors identifies as a person of color; three identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, one identifies as trans/gender-diverse. All authors hold class privileges related to educational attainment, and there are no adolescents on the authorship team. Calls for diversity and inclusion include providers and researchers, as well as clients and participants; we also believe that the most successful cultural adaptations amplify and incorporate the voices and perspectives of experts through experience (in this case, minoritized adolescents). As an authorship team that generally lacks those lived Colleen A. Sloan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6591-7309 The views, opinions, and content of this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Government.The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.Colleen A. Sloan served as lead for writing-original draft and writingreview and editing. Rachel L. Zelkowitz served in a supporting role for writing-original draft and writing-review and editing. Taylor L. Brooks served in a supporting role for writing-original draft and writing-review and editing. Jeffrey M. Cohen served in a supporting role for writing-review and editing.