One of the ways Sunrise Residential Treatment Center (RTC) stays up-to-date with best practices is through its work with a team of Duke University psychology professors who specialize in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Each year, this group provides Sunrise with monthly consultation groups for the clinical team, monthly training for all of the treatment team, monthly individual coaching sessions for the therapists, and biannual two-day trainings on campus. The Duke team visited Sunrise in early May and was able to provide feedback, insight, and training on programmatic implementation and integration of the DBT framework.

They also focused their training and feedback on using the DBT framework to manage burnout among the leadership team and any employee showing signs of burnout. The group also discussed how Sunrise staff can deepen their understanding of the DBT skills to improve student interventions such as behavior shaping, which uses positive reinforcement and understanding consequences. Additionally, staff learned techniques to stay out of judgment by using words like assumption, commitment, and agreement while speaking about students during the treatment.

Sunrise RTC takes pride in being a data-outcome-driven program with evidence-based, high-quality clinical services.

About Sunrise Residential Treatment Center

Utah-based Sunrise RTC provides therapeutic healing and engaging academics to adolescent girls, ages 13 – 17, who are bright, curious, and capable and have struggled with deep-rooted emotional issues that have kept them from reaching their full potential.