Beyond the Impasse
DBT Perspective: Working with Clients Who Are Difficult to Engage
A one and a half day professional workshop with Dr Christine Dunkley
Learn to understand what may be happening when therapy becomes stuck, why engagement can become difficult, and what professionals can do when familiar approaches no longer seem to move the work forward.
- Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November 2026
- Kunvent San Guzepp, Żebbuġ
- Friday 09:00 to 16:00 and Saturday 09:00 to 13:00
- €95 for Day One, €80 for Day Two or €160 for both days
- 8 hours 45 minutes of CPD, with a Certificate of Attendance
- Breakfast and coffee on both days, and lunch on Friday
About the Workshop
Therapy can sometimes reach a point where progress slows, sessions become repetitive, or engagement becomes difficult.
Beyond the Impasse: DBT Perspective: Working with Clients Who Are Difficult to Engage explores therapeutic impasse through a DBT lens, including therapy interfering behaviours, behavioural chain analysis and the patterns that may keep therapy stuck.
Led by Dr Christine Dunkley, the workshop places clear emphasis on the DBT modality and how DBT can help professionals understand and respond when engagement becomes difficult or therapy stops moving forward.
Why This Workshop Matters
Therapy does not always move forward in a straightforward way. Sometimes sessions begin to feel repetitive, progress slows, important areas are repeatedly avoided, or a client may continue attending while meaningful movement becomes difficult.
These moments can be challenging for even experienced professionals. The immediate temptation may be to think of the client as resistant, unmotivated or simply difficult to engage. But an impasse can also provide important clinical information.
Beyond the Impasse invites professionals to look beyond the behaviour itself and become curious about what may be maintaining the pattern, what function a behaviour may be serving, what happens before and after it, and what may be happening within the therapeutic relationship.
Drawing on Dr Christine Dunkley’s extensive clinical and training experience in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, the workshop will explore DBT informed ways of understanding behaviours that interfere with therapy, including therapy interfering behaviours and behavioural chain analysis.
The aim is not simply to identify difficult behaviour, but to understand it. By considering the function, context and consequences of behaviour, professionals can develop a clearer formulation of what may be keeping therapy stuck and make more deliberate decisions about how to respond.
A DBT Perspective
This workshop is explicitly grounded in the DBT modality.
Dr Christine Dunkley has extensive experience in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. The workshop will focus on how a DBT perspective can help professionals understand therapeutic impasse, engagement difficulties, therapy interfering behaviours and behavioural patterns that maintain stuckness.
What the Workshop Will Explore
Through a DBT lens, the workshop will explore:
- What happens when therapy reaches an impasse
- Why engagement can become difficult
- Recognising behaviours that interfere with the therapeutic process
- Understanding the function of behaviour rather than simply labelling it
- Identifying patterns that may be maintaining therapeutic stuckness
- Validation and goal setting
- Commitment strategies
- Therapy interfering behaviours
- Behavioural chain analysis
- What happens before and after a behaviour
- Working with emotion
- Mindfulness for engagement
- The role of the therapeutic relationship when progress becomes difficult
- How the therapist’s own responses may influence the process
- Developing clearer ways of thinking about what to do when familiar strategies are no longer working
Seats Are Limited to 70 per Day
Book Day One, Day Two or both. It takes a couple of minutes, and your seat is confirmed as soon as payment is complete.
Programme
Registration and networking breakfast begin at 08:30 on both days, with training from 09:00.
Day One
Friday 27 November 2026
Registration and networking breakfast begin at 08:30. Training runs from 09:00 to 15:45, followed by closing and certificate distribution until 16:00.
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 08:30 to 09:00 | Registration and Networking Breakfast |
| 09:00 to 11:00 | Session 1: Understanding Disengagement |
| 11:00 to 11:30 | Morning Coffee Break |
| 11:30 to 13:30 | Session 2: Validation and Goal Setting |
| 13:30 to 14:15 | Lunch Break |
| 14:15 to 15:45 | Session 3: Commitment Strategies |
| 15:45 to 16:00 | Closing and Certificate Distribution |
Day Two
Saturday 28 November 2026
Registration and networking breakfast begin at 08:30. Training runs from 09:00 to 12:45, followed by closing and certificate distribution until 13:00.
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 08:30 to 09:00 | Registration and Networking Breakfast |
| 09:00 to 11:00 | Session 4: Chain Analysis of Therapy-Interfering Behaviour Session 5: Working with Emotion |
| 11:00 to 11:30 | Morning Coffee Break |
| 11:30 to 12:45 | Session 6: Mindfulness for Engagement |
| 12:45 to 13:00 | Workshop Closing and Certificate Distribution |
- CPD: 8 hours 45 minutes for the full workshop: 5 hours 30 minutes of teaching on Day One and 3 hours 15 minutes on Day Two.
- Certificates: participants attending Day One only receive their certificate on Friday. Participants attending both days, and those attending Day Two only, receive their certificate on Saturday.
- Hospitality: Friday includes a registration breakfast, morning coffee break and lunch. Saturday includes a registration breakfast and morning coffee break.
- Included: Certificate of Attendance, registration breakfast on both days, coffee breaks, Friday lunch, hospitality and participant training materials.
Book Your Seat
Join for one day or for the full workshop. Your seat is confirmed once payment is complete, and you will receive a booking confirmation by email.
Day One
Friday 27 November
€95
- Sessions 1 to 3, 09:00 to 16:00
- Registration breakfast, morning coffee break and lunch
- Certificate of Attendance on Friday
Day Two
Saturday 28 November
€80
- Sessions 4 to 6, 09:00 to 13:00
- Registration breakfast and morning coffee break
- Certificate of Attendance on Saturday
Both Days
Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November
€160
- Sessions 1 to 6: 8 hours 45 minutes of CPD
- Breakfast and coffee on both days, lunch on Friday
- Certificate of Attendance on Saturday
- €15 less than booking each day separately
Each day is limited to 70 seats. When you book, you enter the full name and email address of each attendee. Please note that workshop bookings are non-refundable.
Discounted bookings for selected professional associations and organisations are handled directly through Matthew. For booking enquiries, call +356 7929 1817 or email [email protected].
Who Is It For?
This workshop is designed for professionals who work therapeutically with clients and who may encounter moments where engagement becomes difficult, progress slows, or the therapeutic process becomes stuck.
The workshop is strongly grounded in the DBT modality and is designed for professionals who want to strengthen their understanding of DBT approaches to therapeutic impasse, engagement and therapy interfering behaviours.
- Counsellors
- Psychotherapists
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Social workers
- Mental health professionals
- Family therapists
- Professionals working within therapeutic and behaviour change settings
- Postgraduate trainees in relevant helping professions
Meet Your Facilitator
Dr Christine Dunkley
Consultant Trainer, British Isles DBT Training
Dr Christine Dunkley is a consultant trainer, author and Fellow of the Society for DBT UK and Ireland (SfDBT), and recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Impact Award from the British and Irish Group for the Study of Personality Disorders (BIGSPD).
A member of the British Isles DBT Training Team since 2006, Christine has delivered more than 50 intensive DBT training programmes and hundreds of workshops to practitioners across health, social care and organisational settings. She is widely recognised for making complex DBT concepts accessible, engaging and immediately applicable in practice.
Christine holds a Doctorate in Clinical Practice from the University of Southampton and has over 30 years’ experience within the NHS, initially as a medical social worker and later as a psychological therapist. Since leaving the NHS in 2012, she has focused on training, consultation, publishing and the development of innovative DBT-informed resources.
She is an Executive Director of the British Isles DBT Board (BIDBT) and has led the development of training, publishing and dissemination initiatives that have extended the reach of DBT across clinical, organisational and professional communities.
She is the author of numerous papers, articles and books, including Regulating Emotion the DBT Way, and is a sought-after speaker, podcast guest and webinar presenter. Christine has lectured extensively throughout Europe, North America, New Zealand and the Middle East, and shares practical DBT insights with more than 28,000 LinkedIn followers.
Christine served on the Expert Reference Group for Personality Disorders at UCL, received a NICE Shared Learning Contributor Award for a primary care project, and was the founding Chair of the Society for DBT UK and Ireland. In 2016 she became the Society’s first Fellow in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the development and dissemination of DBT.
Location, Parking and Access
Parking and Shuttle Service
Participants will be able to park in the designated parking area near Ta’ Għaqba. The venue is within walking distance from the parking area, and a shuttle service will also be available to transport participants between the parking area and the venue.
Shuttle bus service is included in your workshop fee. Places on the shuttle are available to the first 25 registered participants who select ‘Yes’ on the booking form.
Accessibility
An accessible route down to the event area is available. If you have specific accessibility requirements, please contact the Willingness team so arrangements can be discussed.
The Organiser: Willingness Team
Willingness is a Maltese therapeutic team that brings together professionals across the fields of family, sex and health.
Since 2011, Willingness has worked to support the emotional and psychological wellbeing of individuals, couples and families while also contributing to the professional development of Malta’s helping professions.
Through our professional workshops and events, Willingness creates opportunities for practitioners in Malta to learn from experienced local and international professionals, deepen their clinical knowledge and connect with colleagues across disciplines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this workshop for?
Professionals who work therapeutically with clients, including counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, family therapists and other mental health professionals, as well as postgraduate trainees in relevant helping professions.
When and where does it take place?
On Friday 27 November 2026 from 09:00 to 16:00 and Saturday 28 November 2026 from 09:00 to 13:00, at Kunvent San Guzepp, Żebbuġ. Registration and networking breakfast begin at 08:30 on both days.
Can I attend just one day?
Yes. You can book Day One on Friday for €95, Day Two on Saturday for €80, or both days for €160.
What is included?
A Certificate of Attendance, registration breakfast on both days, coffee breaks, lunch on Friday, hospitality and participant training materials.
Does the workshop count towards CPD?
Yes. The full workshop carries 8 hours 45 minutes of CPD, and every participant receives a Certificate of Attendance. Day One has 5 hours 30 minutes of teaching time and Day Two 3 hours 15 minutes.
When will I receive my certificate?
Participants attending Day One only receive their certificate on Friday. Participants attending both days, and those attending Day Two only, receive their certificate on Saturday.
Where can I park?
In the designated parking area near Ta’ Għaqba. The venue is within walking distance, and a shuttle service will run between the parking area and the venue. Shuttle bus service is included in your workshop fee. Places on the shuttle are available to the first 25 registered participants who select ‘Yes’ on the booking form. View the parking area on Google Maps.
Is the venue accessible?
An accessible route down to the event area is available. If you have specific accessibility requirements, please contact the Willingness team so arrangements can be discussed.
How many seats are available?
Each day is limited to 70 seats. Booking for a day closes as soon as it is full, so we recommend booking early.
Can I book seats for colleagues?
Yes. Choose the days and the number of seats, then enter each attendee’s full name and email address on the booking page.
Is there a discount for associations or organisations?
Discounted bookings for selected professional associations and organisations are handled directly through Matthew.
Can I get a refund?
No. Workshop bookings are non-refundable, so please check that the dates work for you before booking.
How do I know my booking is confirmed?
Your seat is confirmed once payment is complete, and you will receive a booking confirmation by email.
Ready to Book Your Seat?
Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November 2026 at Kunvent San Guzepp, Żebbuġ. €95 for Day One, €80 for Day Two or €160 for both days.
Booking enquiries: call +356 7929 1817 or email [email protected].