Teen Finds Relief Through Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program

WashU Medicine's CONNECT program provides comprehensive mental health services for young people in crisis.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 6:34am

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Jersey, a 17-year-old, suffered from debilitating thoughts connecting everyday objects to death, causing him to attempt suicide twice. After entering WashU Medicine's Adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program through the CONNECT initiative, Jersey learned to accept the reality of death and find joy in his life, describing it as "such a relief to finally know happiness."

Why it matters

The CONNECT program at WashU Medicine is addressing a growing mental health crisis among young people, providing evidence-based treatments like dialectical behavioral therapy to help adolescents struggling with trauma, emotion dysregulation, and suicidal behavior. This comprehensive approach aims to decrease the risk of long-term, debilitating outcomes for youth.

The details

Through CONNECT, Jersey received dialectical behavioral therapy, which focuses on distress tolerance and teaching teens to accept painful emotions. The therapy involved defining facts versus judgments, exploring feelings, and experiencing discomfort to make peace with their thoughts. For Jersey, this meant acknowledging his lack of control over death while finding joy in activities he enjoys.

  • Jersey entered the Adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program through CONNECT after attempting suicide twice.
  • The CONNECT program was established recently to unite three specialized mental health programs for adolescents.

The players

T. Eric Spiegel, MD

A WashU Medicine professor of psychiatry and associate division director of child and adolescent psychiatry.

Josh Jones

A licensed clinical social worker and dialectical behavioral therapist in the CONNECT program who works with patients like Jersey.

Cynthia E. Rogers, MD

The Blanche F. Ittleson Professor of Psychiatry and director of the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at WashU Medicine.

Eric J. Lenze, MD

The Wallace and Lucille Renard Professor of Psychiatry and head of the WashU Medicine Department of Psychiatry.

Jersey

A 17-year-old who suffered from debilitating thoughts connecting everyday objects to death, leading to suicide attempts.

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What they’re saying

“Part of what we teach in dialectical behavioral therapy is that pain is a part of being alive and how to learn to accept it. Accepting doesn't mean you have to like it. Rather, it's acknowledging the reality of it and adjusting our behavior to the reality.”

— Josh Jones, Licensed clinical social worker and dialectical behavioral therapist

“I am still very afraid of having no control over my death. But my therapy has helped me realize that death is fixed. I can't pray it away no matter how hard I try. And if I were to die by my own hands, then I wouldn't be able to feel happiness. It's such a relief to finally know happiness.”

— Jersey

What’s next

The CONNECT program will continue to integrate with the new mental health hospital and intensive outpatient center being opened by St. Louis Children's and KVC Health Systems later this year, providing a continuity of care for youth mental health.

The takeaway

The CONNECT program at WashU Medicine is addressing the growing mental health crisis among young people by providing comprehensive, evidence-based treatments like dialectical behavioral therapy. This holistic approach aims to decrease the long-term, debilitating outcomes for adolescents struggling with trauma, emotion dysregulation, and suicidal behavior.