Abstract
Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a third wave cognitive behavioural therapy that has been developed for the treatment of people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). DBT consists of several therapeutic strands, one of which is a series of skills training modules. This literature review will focus on the skills training in DBT and addresses the usefulness of skills training from a service user perspective and the effectiveness of skills training in reducing distress for people with BPD. A literature search of English language journals was conducted using Psychlnfo, ISI Web of Knowledge and Science Direct databases. The review found that skills training was a valuable treatment as viewed by people with BPD. It also reports that DBT skills training is an effective means to aid in reducing symptoms and distress for people with BPD. The review also highlights some of the limitations of the literature in this area and makes suggestions for broadening the scope and diversity of future research.