About this workshop

Discover why clinicians (even those who don’t usually love a structured treatment!) are integrating the Unified Protocol (UP), an evidence-based, transdiagnostic approach, into their practice and how it can strengthen your clinical toolkit.

The UP is a practical, flexible approach that helps people handle strong emotions in ways that fit with their life goals. Instead of focusing on just diagnoses, the UP helps clients change their relationship to their emotions as a whole.

The UP isn’t just another CBT protocol; it’s a unifying framework grounded in the science of why symptoms persist and how to create meaningful change across a wide range of diagnoses and concerns. Over 70 clinical trials have shown that the UP is effective for reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, decreasing functional impairment, and increasing the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies.

This training will provide you with the knowledge and skills to start using or to enhance your use of the UP. You’ll learn about all eight UP modules and how they can help your clients develop new beliefs about their emotions, learn skills to manage emotions skillfully, and increase their willingness to experience and navigate their emotions. We will discuss practical ways to flex the UP to fit your client, your clinical style, and the realities of delivering treatment in real-world settings (e.g., navigating the “crisis of the week,” issues with homework compliance, how to know if your client is actually improving).

This workshop is designed to give you both the “why” and “the how,” so you understand the science and rationale behind the UP and also have the scripts, metaphors, and session outlines to feel more confident using it. It will be interactive with skill demonstrations, live polling, and plenty of opportunities for Q&A.

Meet your instructor

Dr. Julianne Wilner (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist at McLean Hospital and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. She works in the Child and Adolescent Division at McLean Hospital, including the Pediatric Mood, Imaging, and Neurodevelopment Lab and the 3East Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy Continuum. Dr. Wilner’s clinical and research work focuses on improving care for adolescents and young adults at risk for suicide through mechanism-driven, transdiagnostic interventions. She has authored over 45 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, many focused on the Unified Protocol (UP) and related transdiagnostic treatments. She is a Certified Therapist and Trainer with the Unified Protocol Institute and has provided training, supervision, and consultation to hundreds of clinicians in the UP and UP-informed care. In her clinical work, she specializes in using the UP and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for adolescents and adults struggling with anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.