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SOCW 611 template attached
2
Adolescents Intervention
WKS 8
SOCW-6111
Dr. Larscheid
January 17, 2026
Adolescents Intervention
When working with young people, especially adolescents, it is important to select an intervention that is supported by clinical evidence and can help address not only their emotional needs but also align with their developmental stage (Brandell, 2020). I selected Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) because it is an evidence-based intervention well-suited for reducing maladaptive behaviors, including emotional issues, impulsivity, and identity issues adolescents experience (Brandell, 2020). The intervention was originally developed for treating adults with borderline personality disorder, making it particularly effective for teenagers navigating peer pressure, hormonal changes and self-identity.
DBT emphasizes on practical skills-based learning in crucial areas such as tolerating distress, emotion regulation, and other skills, which may be helpful for adolescence as these skills can help teenagers that struggle with emotional outburst and mood swings, including those who are at risk of using substances as a coping behavior. According to Goldstein et al. (2024) research, DBT validates an individual’s emotional experience while also guiding or encouraging them to be responsible for their behavior, a structure that can only help teenagers build healthier coping skills but also effectively manage their mood or emotions.
DBT intervention’s success highly depends on an individual’s commitment and family support, which may be challenging when adopting it to adolescent who tend to have high emotional sensitivity, including those who have experienced abuse or any type of childhood trauma. DBT also requires time consuming and demands more resources from well-trained therapists to individual therapy, family involvement and skills groups, which may not be ideal for all families or in practice setting.
References
Brandell, J. R. (Ed.). (2020). Theory & practice in clinical social work (3rd ed.). Cognella.
Goldstein, T. R., Merranko, J., Rode, N., Sylvester, R., Hotkowski, N., Fersch-Podrat, R., & Birmaher, B. (2024). Dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents with bipolar disorder: A randomized clinical trial.
JAMA psychiatry,
81(1), 15-24.
