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Co-Producing DBT Intervention Protocols for LGBTQ+ People

Overview

About the study
LGBTQ+ young people are at high risk of self-harm and suicide and often experience barriers accessing mental health care. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an effective intervention in reducing self-harm and suicidality. However, feedback suggests that DBT may benefit from some optimised protocols to help better support LGBTQ+ young people. Thus, this study aims to produce some optimised protocols for DBT with LGBTQ+ young people and DBT therapists.
What will it involve?
  • Attending around six focus groups to help develop the protocols. We will help prepare you for these.
  • Providing brief feedback on the focus group at the end of each group.
  • Providing more in-depth feedback about the study overall when the focus groups are finished.
Who are we looking to recruit?
We are asking for volunteers from two main groups:
  1. LGBTQ+ young people (aged 13 to 21 years old) who have either being in a DBT programme (for at least four months, whether you finished it or not) or have not been in DBT but struggled with at least one of the following: a) LGBTQ+ identity confusion, b) difficulties coping with stigma experiences, and/or c) difficulties connecting with other people similar to you.
  2. DBT therapists with experience supporting LGBTQ+ young people within DBT.
Rewards and expenses.
For LGBTQ+ young people who participate, you will also be provided with £15 per hour (voucher or BACS payment) when attending the focus groups, and again for completion of the feedback interview at the end of the study. Any travel costs will be reimbursed.
For therapist participants, as you will be invited to participate during working hours, you will not be paid additionally for your time to attend the focus. We will reimburse any travel to attend any part of the study. We will also be able to provide you with a £15 voucher or BACS payment for taking part in the feedback interview, providing this is outside of your core working hours.

 
Are you interested in taking part in this study?
Fill out this form

Planned end date

30 Jul 2026 23:55

Conditions

Self-harm,Suicide

Inclusion Criteria

1.DBT Cohort Young Person Sample 1
Inclusion criteria will include that the young person:
a. Is aged 13 to 21 years old;
b. has completed at least four months of comprehensive DBT (i.e. inclusive of all four modes of intervention; Linehan, 1993; Miller et al., 2009; Rathus & Miller, 2015) in the past 24 months or have completed at least four months of DBT and are still in a comprehensive DBT programme;
c. identify as LGBTQ+ (including those questioning or unsure about their orientation/identity);
d. and the young person is willing and able to participate in the study.
Typically to be eligible for a DBT programme, the young people would need to have a history of self-harm and/or suicidal behaviours, difficulties with emotion regulation, and potentially difficulties with the remaining symptom list within borderline/emotionally unstable personality disorder.
2. Non-DBT Cohort Young Person Sample 2
Participants will be excluded from this group and considered for the first young person sample if they have been in a comprehensive DBT programme. If they have been offered DBT but not accessed DBT for any reason, they will be eligible for this group. Inclusion criteria will follow similar to sample 1. The young person:
a. Is aged 13 to 21 years old;
b. has not accessed or is currently within a comprehensive DBT programme;
c. has experienced difficulties with LGBTQ-related identity confusion, managing stigma experiences, and connecting with similar others;
d. identify as LGBTQ+ (including those questioning or unsure about their orientation/identity);
e. and the young person is willing and able to participate in the study (i.e. are based in the UK and can attend the inperson and online groups).
3. DBT Therapist Sample
Inclusion criteria will include:
a. That they are currently (or recently finished, within the past 12 months) practicing within a comprehensive DBT programme as a DBT therapist. In order to practice as a DBT therapist, they will need a professional qualification to be recognised as a clinician by appropriate healthcare regulators.
b. That they have experience working with at least one LGBTQ+ client in DBT, that was aged between 13 and 21 years at the time.
c. That they are willing and able to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria

Young people participants will not be included if they are outside of the age range, do not identify as LGBTQ+, have not been in a DBT programme within the timescales stated above (for group 1) or have not experienced the aforestated difficulties (for group 2), and are not willing/able to participate.
Therapist participants will not be included if they are not practicing as a DBT therapist within the past 12 months, do not have experience working with at least one LGBTQ+ young people in DBT, and are not willing to participate.
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