On average, participants in our program reported less distress over their first year — with the most change happening early, in the first six months. Every person’s path is different; this shows the overall pattern.

A transparent look at our findings

This was a small, preliminary study at a single outpatient clinic, without a comparison group. We cannot claim that skills coaching caused these improvements — only that participants who engaged in it experienced meaningful progress.

A few things worth knowing. Everyone in the study had some level of suicidal ideation when they started; participants who reported none at intake were not included in the analysis. Not everyone completed assessments at every point — 47 participants completed intake measures, 39 at six months, and 27 at one year. Our study group was primarily female and white, and nearly all families used private insurance, so these results may not reflect every teen’s experience. Participants also received the full range of DBT services alongside skills coaching, so some of the improvement may reflect the additional treatment time rather than the coaching itself.

We did not find a statistically significant link between the amount of skills coaching a participant received and their change in reasons for living or depressive symptoms. The skills-coaching effect we can point to is specific to suicidal ideation.

We share these findings because they are genuinely encouraging, and because we believe in being forthcoming about what the research does and does not indicate.