The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Rumination and Cognitive Avoidance in Teachers

Teachers are exposed to chronic occupational stress that may contribute to maladaptivecognitive processes, including rumination and cognitive avoidance. Dialectical BehaviorTherapy (DBT), originally developed for emotion dysregulation, has increasingly beenapplied as a transdiagnostic and skills‐based intervention in non‐clinical populations.DBT emphasizes mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonaleffectiveness skills that may enhance adaptive coping and psychological resilience.This randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effects of a DBT skillstraining program among middle‐school teachers in Isfahan, Iran. Participants assigned tothe intervention group attended ten structured group sessions delivered in a face‐to‐faceformat. The program was based on Linehan's DBT skills training model and focused ondeveloping practical strategies for emotional and cognitive self‐regulation. Participantsin the control group did not receive the intervention during the study period.The study was designed to evaluate whether a structured DBT‐based psychoeducationalprogram could improve cognitive and emotional functioning and contribute to the growingevidence supporting the use of DBT in educational and non‐clinical settings.