This exciting 2-day live 'virtual' workshop will upskill practising mental health professionals in the use of use of the new Neurodiversity- Affirming Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (NDA-DBT) informed program in working with autistic clients.
Initially designed by Dr Marsha Linehan (1993) for people diagnosed with Borderline
Personality Disorder, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) has been expanded to a range of
clinical populations, including those with substance abuse difficulties, individuals
experiencing depression with comorbid personality disorders, and offenders. There is
growing evidence for using DBT with autistic clients, considering that emotion dysregulation
can be regarded as a common issue with this client group. Notwithstanding, DBT essentially
utilises a behavioural approach to treatment, which inadvertently encourages social
camouflaging or masking and may result in autistic burnout and assimilation. Furthermore, it
can be argued that DBT-based interventions, which are based on behavioural approaches,
run contrary to neurodiversity-affirming principles.
The NDA-DBT informed program was developed to acknowledge the dialectics of
neurodivergence and help an autistic person find the ‘middle ground’ and move toward
acculturation. The authors have made significant changes to the DBT concepts and
languaging to make it more neurodiversity-affirming. Clinicians with lived experience and
autistic clients who have completed the program have provided invaluable input to tailor the
program to support the needs of autistic clients who experience challenges with emotion
dysregulation. The NDA-DBT can be considered a strengths-based model consistent with
psychoeducational and neurodiversity-affirmative practice.
At the end of this, the training participants will be able to develop:
Gain basic knowledge of neurodiversity-affirming and DBT principles
Develop knowledge and skills in incorporating neurodiversity-affirming practice and using DBT-based skills when supporting autistic clients.
Introduce the NDA-DBT informed program, which can be utilised in individual and/or group-based treatment.
Course Overview (DAY 1)
Mental health professionals will increase their knowledge, skills and confidence in applying the Neurodiversity-Affirming Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (NDA-DBT) informed program in working with autistic clients in a 2-day 'live' virtual workshop.
Day 1 overview coming soon
Day 1 overview coming soon
Day 1 overview coming soon
Day 1 overview coming soon
Day 1 overview coming soon
Course Overview (DAY 2)
Day 2 overview coming soon
Day 2 overview coming soon
Day 2 overview coming soon
Day 2 overview coming soon
Day 2 overview coming soon
Bonus material!
NDA-DBT informed program manual
Developed by Dr Joseph Allan Sakdalan & Nimasha Weerakoon (2024) the new NDA-DBT informed program manual is included as part of this course.
NDA-DBT informed program manual - helpful resources
Access to a plethora of valuable resources, including 130 neurodiversity affirming-DBT handouts, outcome measures
and participant feedback forms.
Breakout rooms!
This 2-day live virtual workshop provides lots of opportunities for reflection and skills-based practice in virtual 'break-out rooms' for 'real' interaction and engagement with your peers
Event Details
Upcoming Date(s)
Friday 17th and Saturday 18th October 2025
Time
9-5pm (AEST)
Breaks?
Yes of course! - morning tea and afternoon tea (15 minutes each at 10.30am and 2.45pm)
Lunch 12-12-45pm
Who is the course for?
This two-day online training workshop is suitable for mental health professionals (e.g., counsellors, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, nurses, etc.) who work with who work with autistic clients (adults and adolescents) experiencing challenges with emotion dysregulation.
Provisional Psychologists / Psychologists
Behaviour Support Practitioners
Counsellors
Social workers
Occupational therapists
Nurses
Psychiatrists
Instructor(s)
Clinical Psychologist, Author & Trainer
Dr Joseph Allan Sakdalan
Dr Sakdalan is an NZ and AHPRA registered clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist, and clinical neuropsychologist with over 25 years of clinical experience conducting assessments and treating complex clients with mental health problems, neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders, personality issues, and offending behaviours. He has worked across various sectors, including educational and hospital settings, community and inpatient psychiatric services,
forensic disability and forensic mental health, and in private practice.
Dr Sakdalan is a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the Cairnmillar Institute. He is the Unit Coordinator for the Advanced Assessments for Clinical Psychologists, which is a course for the Master of Clinical Psychology (Post-Registration) program. Dr Sakdalan is also a Senior Clinical Psychologist at the Problem Behaviour Program at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare) in Victoria, Australia. In addition, he runs a private practice in Auckland
and Melbourne. He is passionate about teaching and mentoring psychologists and other mental health professionals to develop their skills in assessing and treating clients with complex presentations.
Dr Sakdalan has pioneered the development, implementation and evaluation of innovative psychological programs such as the adapted DBT coping skills program for clients with intellectual disabilities with challenging/offending behaviours, and a suite of offence-related and offence-specific treatment group-based programs (e.g. sexual offending, family violence, general offending, treatment readiness, substance abuse) implemented in forensic and correctional services. Dr Sakdalan has written book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles and has run training workshops locally and internationally in his specialty areas.
Nimasha Weerakoon Nimasha is an AHPRA registered psychologist and a clinical psychology registrar who works primarily with neurodivergent clients. She identifies as neurodivergent and is passionate about providing affirming and accessible mental health care. She is committed to approaching psychology through a neuro-affirmative lens, promoting equity and inclusion for neurodivergent people within psychology and treating distress, not difference. She is community-oriented and works from an intersectional lens. She worked with Dr Sakdalan to co-develop the Neurodiversity-Affirming Dialectical Behavioural Therapy informed program, offering lived experience insight
I have already completed the Adapted DBT for ID training with Joseph at the Emotions Clinic. Should I attend?
Definitely! This pioneering and unique adaptation of DBT explicitly incorporates
neurodiversity-affirming principles and language. This program was developed with
invaluable input from clinicians with lived experience and autistic clients who have
completed the group. This program can be considered more appropriate when
working with autistic clients.
I have already completed training in DBT for the general population. Should I attend?
A: Yes! The standard DBT program was not specifically developed for autistic clients,
and it does not consider neurodiversity-affirming principles. Furthermore, some of the
DBT skills and language run contrary to neurodiversity-affirming principles; therefore,
standard DBT skills can inadvertently encourage masking or camouflaging, which
can cause autistic burnout and can be invalidating.
Q: How exactly is this neurodiversity affirming?
The authors have made significant changes to the program to ensure that it utilises
neurodiversity-affirming concepts, language and skills. It was developed by clinicians
with lived experience and input from autistic clients who have completed the
program.
How is this program different from standard and adapted DBT programs?
The authors had to radically ‘overhaul’ and reconceptualise some DBT skills and
concepts to make them more neurodiversity-affirming. For example, we have made
significant changes to the DBT interpersonal effectiveness module so that it does not
mainly focus on teaching social skills but on helping clients understand the double
empathy problem and the difference between neurodivergent and neurotypical
communication styles, dialectics of neurodivergence, validation and self-compassion,
and building acculturation and reciprocity.
Q. What is the evidence for the use of DBT with autistic clients?
There is growing evidence of using standard/adapted DBT and Radically Open DBT
(RO-DBT) with autistic adults (e.g., Bemmouna et al., 2022; Cornwall et al., 2021;
Huntjens et al., 2020). However, these programs primarily utilise behaviorally based
interventions, which autistic clients may find invalidating and encourage social
camouflaging, which can lead to autistic burnout and assimilation. The NDA-DBT
informed program is unique because it involves significant changes and
reconceptualisation of DBT concepts and skills with input from clinicians and
participants with lived experience to ensure it is neurodiversity-affirming. An ongoing
study evaluating the effectiveness of the NDA-DBT program has shown promising
results and positive feedback from participants who have completed the program.
I haven’t attended a DBT training workshop and have limited knowledge of neurodiversity-affirming practice. Is it suitable for me to participate in this workshop?
The first day of the workshop will provide an introduction to neurodiversity-affirming
principles and practice and DBT concepts and skills. The second day will introduce
the NDA-DBT informed program and teach participants to utilise this program with
autistic clients. Participants are not required to have a good working knowledge of
DBT and neurodiversity-affirming principles, as this will be covered in the training
workshop.
Can I just purchase the manual or do I need to attend the training?
Not yet! The authors plan to make the manual available for publication and purchase at a
later stage (dates are not yet available). In the meantime, attending the training is the
only way to access the manual, which are included as free bonuses as part of this course!
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