DBT parent coaching in China has become a meaningful part of my clinical, teaching, and research life. In 2023, Dr. Xiaoyan Ke, also known as Dr. 柯晓燕, and I co-led the first DBT skills group for parents and caregivers in mainland China.
Dr. Ke is a psychiatrist at Nanjing Brain Hospital, one of China’s most important neuropsychiatric hospitals and the country’s earliest national neuropsychiatric hospital. Since our first group together, she has led a 14-week DBT parent coaching group 13 times.
We recently published a paper in BMC Psychology reporting on some of the outcomes from this work: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40359-026-04932-5
DBT Parent Coaching in China
The paper, “Culturally adapted DBT parent coaching for Chinese families of adolescents with mental disorders,” examined a culturally adapted DBT parent coaching program for parents of adolescents with mental health concerns.
The study found preliminary support for the feasibility and acceptability of this approach. Parents reported reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress after the intervention. The findings also suggested improvements in family functioning, mindfulness, acceptance, and more constructive communication.
These are early findings. However, they are encouraging.
They also reflect something we see clinically again and again: parents need skills, support, and a clear role in treatment.
Why Parent Coaching Matters in Adolescent DBT
Family involvement is not optional when treating suicidal adolescents.
Parents and caregivers often live closest to the crisis. They see the escalation, the shutdown, the conflict, the fear, and the moments when a teen needs support but cannot ask for it clearly.
Because of that, parents need more than reassurance. They need practical skills.
DBT parent coaching can help caregivers validate more effectively, respond to crisis with more clarity, reduce escalation, and support behavior change without losing compassion.
At the Youth and Family Institute – Los Angeles, parent coaching is compulsory in our comprehensive DBT program. We do this because adolescents do better when the adults around them are supported, skilled, and coordinated with the treatment team.
Returning to Nanjing Brain Hospital
This week, Julia and I had the privilege of returning to Nanjing Brain Hospital.
We taught DBT-based crisis management strategies. We also planned our next research projects with Dr. Ke, consulted with Dr. Chun Wang’s adult DBT team, and provided live demonstrations of family intake sessions and adolescent skills groups in their residential program.
Today, the Chinese DBT Association recognizes 31 official DBT treatment centers in China. At least 10 of them are now running skills groups for parents and caregivers.
That growth matters. It reflects the increasing recognition that evidence-based care for adolescents must include families.
Building a Life Around What Matters
I tell my students and patients: find what matters to you most, grab it with both hands, and build your life around it.
That is what this work is for me.
It brings together DBT, adolescent mental health, parent coaching, cultural adaptation, research, teaching, and international collaboration. More importantly, it supports families during some of the most painful and high-risk moments of their lives.
I am grateful for Dr. Ke, the Nanjing Brain Hospital team, the parents who participated in this work, and the colleagues helping DBT continue to grow across cultures.
At YFI, we support youth, young adults, adults, and families navigating anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, self-harm, suicide risk, ADHD, emotion dysregulation, school stress, family stress, and parent-child conflict. Our team provides comprehensive DBT, parent coaching, skills training, phone coaching, and coordinated care for clients who need more support. Learn more about our DBT services here: https://youthandfamilyinstitute.com/dbt/
For families and clinicians in Bel Air Estates, Beverly Glen, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Brentwood, Sawtelle, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, and Venice, YFI provides evidence-based care with warmth, clarity, and respect. To learn more or connect with our team, please visit our contact page: https://youthandfamilyinstitute.com/contact/
