Deborah Spiegel MT-BC is a Board- Certified Music Therapist who has been in the field since 1976, providing music therapy for people of all ages. She served as Music Therapist and DBT skills group leader on a DBT Team starting in 2001, and now runs and offers a variety of DBT related classes and supports through the Spiegel Academy.

Suzanne Makary, MT-BC is a Board- Certified Music Therapist who has spent her career serving adults with mental health challenges. As a DBT-Informed music therapist, Suzanne has created a curriculum for the Innovations Partial Hospital Program at St. Luke's University Health Network focused on teaching DBT skills daily.

Lauren Bonavitacola PsyD, is a psychologist and board certified music therapist working for Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants of Westchester and Manhattan, an outpatient CBT- and DBT-based treatment, training, and consultation center.

INTRODUCTION7
DBT SKILLS SUMMARY9
MUSIC THERAPY13
PART 1 GROUP ACTIVITIES FOR CLINICIANS TO FACILITATE
LISTENING TO MUSIC15
Choose a Song that Describes You16
Thoughts and Feelings19
Lyric Analysis21
Name That Tune/ Sing the Next Line23
Bingo25
SONG WRITING27
Positive Affirmations28
Metaphors31
Group Song Writing33
Self-Expression36
MOVEMENT39
Pass the Move
Mirroring
MAKING MUSIC41
Activities for Melodic Instruments42
Activities for Drums and Rhythm Instruments45
Rhythm Activity-No Instruments48
Singing Karaoke50
GUIDED IMAGERY51
Relaxation & Stress Relief54
Wise One56
Success59
SONGS63
The Roller Coaster Ride65
The Message69
The System73
I'm Gonna Make It76
Pros & Cons80
PART 2- WORKBOOK
HOW TO USE THIS SECTION OF THE BOOK
MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness: Being Mindful
Mindfulness: 3 States of Mind
Mindfulness: What Skills
Mindfulness: How Skills
DISTRESS TOLERANCE
Crisis Survival Skill: Distraction with ACCEPTS
Crisis Survival Skills: IMPROVE the moment
Crisis Survival Skill: Self-Soothing
Crisis Survival Skill: Pros & Cons
Acceptance Skills: Radical Acceptance
Acceptance Skills: Willingness vs Willfulness
EMOTION REGULATION
Observing and Describing Emotions
Decrease the Amount of Time in Unwanted Emotions: Check the facts
Changing Unwanted Emotions: Opposite Action
Reducing Vulnerability to Emotion Mind: Accumulating Positives
Reducing Vulnerability to Emotion Mind: Building Mastery
Reducing Vulnerability to Emotion Mind: (Coping Ahead)
Reducing Vulnerability to Emotion Mind: PLEASE
INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
Asking for what you want (DEAR MAN)
Keeping the relationship(GIVE)
Keeping self-respect (FAST)
WALKING THE MIDDLE PATH
Dialectics
Validation
Increase Behaviors and Decrease Behaviors
FURTHER RESOURCES
REFERENCES83