About this course
Title: Challenges of International Dissemination of DBT: Legal, Cultural, and Linguistic Differences in South Korea
Subtitle: The Story of Survival of a U.S.-Trained Psychologist
Over the past 20 years, I have worked to introduce, translate, and disseminate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to Korean-speaking populations in South Korea. This clinical workshop will offer a behind-the-scenes account of that process—one shaped not only by cultural and linguistic adaptation, but also by the legal, institutional, and social challenges that arise when importing a Western treatment model into a fundamentally different system.
As a New York State–trained psychologist and the first intensively trained DBT clinician to lead a Korean consultation team, I encountered obstacles that many Western practitioners may not anticipate. These included a lack of trained team members familiar with behavioral principles; resistance and gatekeeping from established professional groups; cultural expectations around labor, training, and reciprocity; and the absence of legal frameworks protecting therapist liability. I also faced cultural norms that often conflicted with general assumptions about psychotherapy, including norms around sharing private information, the hierarchical structure of clinical relationships, and the role of individual agency.
This presentation will explore the complex process of translating DBT materials and concepts into a non-Latin-based language—Korean. Key DBT terms such as “validation,” “dialectics,” and many other core concepts often lose nuance or are misinterpreted without careful, culturally grounded explanation, while still needing to preserve the utility of the original U.S.-based English terms. The linguistic work of rendering DBT both clinically accurate and emotionally approachable in Korean has been a 25-year effort, requiring ongoing revision, supervision, and deep cultural reflection to maintain fidelity while ensuring accessibility.
The workshop will also address the challenge of building DBT consultation teams in a context where peer supervision is not a cultural norm and where clinicians often work in isolation. I will share the strategies I developed to initiate, train, and sustain DBT teams and to create a national network of providers committed to high-fidelity DBT.
This presentation is designed to support clinicians involved in global DBT dissemination—particularly those working in linguistic, cultural, or regulatory environments that differ markedly from the U.S. Attendees will gain insight into the cultural, legal, and linguistic dimensions of DBT adaptation, along with practical strategies for translation, team development, and program sustainability in international or underrepresented settings.
