For over four decades, under Dr. Linehan’s leadership, the Behavioral Research & Therapy Clinics (BRTC) was a research and training center at the University of Washington (UW) that specialized in developing and evaluating new treatments for difficult-to-treat disorders and training therapists in the use of effective behavioral treatments for complex, multisystemic disorders.

During Dr. Linehan’s tenure, the BRTC offered training to doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows as part of the Department of Psychology clinical research and training program. It provided young investigators with the training, research, and clinical skills necessary for careers in clinical research with difficult-to-treat populations. Trainees learned to become DBT therapists through participation in the Treatment Development Clinic (TDC) training program. A major goal of the TDC was to produce motivated, compassionate, empathic, and scientifically rigorous clinician-scientists. Training consisted of two parts. Part I involved coursework in the areas of behavioral assessment, behavioral therapy, mindfulness, suicide management, and DBT theory and strategy. Part II involved a clinical practicum. Trainees had opportunities to observe expert DBT clinicians in session. They were also required to provide direct clinical services to individual clients, lead a DBT skills training group, and attend a weekly DBT consultation team. All trainees are supervised by expert DBT clinicians.

After Dr. Linehan’s retirement (in 2019), the Department of Psychology reestablished the DBT clinical practicum as the Marsha M. Linehan DBT Clinic.   The MML DBT Clinic is a continuation of her commitment to training graduate students and providing  compassionate, effective treatment to suicidal, multi-diagnostic clients.