Specialized Skills Training in Pittsburgh: Structured, Expert-Led Programs for Real Life.

Not everyone who comes to WPS is looking for open-ended therapy. Sometimes what you need are concrete tools, a clear structure, and a clinician with deep expertise in a specific condition. That’s exactly what our skills training programs offer.

There’s a meaningful difference between therapy and skills training, and both have real value. Therapy tends to be exploratory and ongoing, working through the layers of experience and emotion over time. Skills training is more focused: a structured, time-limited series of sessions designed to give you (or someone you love) specific, evidence-based tools for managing a particular condition.

At Weingarden Psychological Services, our skills training programs are led by Dr. Jon Weingarden, PsyD, a clinician with deep specialized experience in bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and emotion dysregulation. These sessions are available to individuals and to family members who want to better understand and support a loved one navigating one of these conditions.

Skills training sessions at WPS are time-limited (the number of sessions depends on the topics to be covered) and are self-pay. They are not ongoing therapy, they are structured, goal-focused programs.

Why Dr. Weingarden? The Expertise Behind These Programs

Skills training is only as valuable as the expertise behind it. Dr. Weingarden’s background in these specific areas is genuinely distinctive, shaped by years of specialized research, clinical leadership, and hands-on training with some of the field’s leading voices.

Bipolar Disorder: Dr. Weingarden worked in bipolar disorder research and treatment from 2009 through 2015, and trained directly in Interpersonal Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) under Dr. Ellen Frank, the researcher who developed IPSRT and whose work transformed how bipolar disorder is treated. He has continued to treat individuals with bipolar disorder throughout his clinical career.

Eating Disorders: As Senior Program Director at UPMC’s Western Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Weingarden oversaw the inpatient Center for Eating Disorders treatment program. During this time, he updated the DBT protocol for individuals with anorexia, developed a group therapy program rooted in Focal Dynamic Therapy, and created a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) group treatment manual for Anorexia and Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

DBT & Emotion Regulation: Dr. Weingarden received supervised training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills at UPMC and updated the hospital’s group treatment manual to incorporate DBT-RO (Radically Open DBT), an evidence-based extension of DBT particularly effective for overcontrolled presentations and certain personality patterns.

When you work with Dr. Weingarden in a skills training context, you’re not getting a general overview, you’re getting focused, expert-level guidance grounded in years of specialized clinical work.

Program 1: Bipolar Disorder Skills Training

Understanding and Managing Your Mood: For Individuals and Families

Bipolar disorder is one of the most complex and misunderstood mental health conditions. The mood episodes, the highs, the lows, the in-between stretches of uncertainty, can feel unpredictable and exhausting for the person living with it and for the people who love them.

The good news: there is a great deal that can be done to understand and manage bipolar disorder, and much of it comes down to education and skill.

What This Program Covers

Drawing from Interpersonal Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT), the leading evidence-based approach for bipolar disorder, Dr. Weingarden’s bipolar skills training helps participants understand:

• The biology of bipolar disorder and why it behaves the way it does

• How daily routines, sleep patterns, and social rhythms directly influence mood stability

• How to recognize early warning signs of mood episodes before they escalate

• Practical strategies for building structure and consistency into daily life

• How relationships and interpersonal stress interact with mood

Who This Is For

• Adults living with a bipolar disorder diagnosis who want practical tools alongside (or between) therapy

• Family members or partners of someone with bipolar disorder who want to better understand the condition and how to offer meaningful support

These sessions are structured and time-limited, with the number of appointments determined by the topics most relevant to you.

→ Learn more or schedule a bipolar disorder skills session, call 412-240-5686.

Program 2: Eating Disorder Skills Training

For Anorexia, ARFID, and the People Who Care for Them

Eating disorders are among the most treatment-resistant mental health conditions, not because people don’t want to get better, but because the conditions themselves create real barriers to change. Ambivalence is part of the illness, not a character flaw. Our approach honors that reality from the start.

Dr. Weingarden’s work with eating disorders at UPMC’s inpatient Center for Eating Disorders, where he led the treatment program and developed clinical tools still in use today, gives him a depth of experience that’s rare in outpatient settings.

What This Program Covers

Depending on the individual’s needs, eating disorder skills training may draw from:

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for eating disorders, building emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills that reduce the pull toward harmful behaviors

• Focal Dynamic Therapy concepts: exploring the emotional and relational dynamics that underlie disordered eating

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anorexia and ARFID, identifying and shifting thought patterns and behaviors around food, body image, and eating

• Motivational approaches: meeting ambivalence with curiosity rather than pressure

A Note on ARFID

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) involves a fear of negative consequences related to eating, unrelated to concerns about weight or appearance, that significantly limits what a person can eat. It can be effectively addressed through a structured, compassionate approach that combines education about the condition, practical skills for managing symptoms, and a gradual, individualized process of expanding food tolerance.

Who This Is For

• Adults navigating anorexia, ARFID, or related eating concerns who are seeking structured skill-building alongside or between therapy

• Family members who want to understand these conditions and learn how to offer support without making things harder

To ask about eating disorder skills sessions, call 412-240-5686 or request an appointment online.

Program 3: DBT Skills Training for Emotion Regulation

For PTSD, Personality Disorders & Overwhelming Emotions

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was originally developed for people who experience emotions with an intensity that makes daily functioning difficult, and whose attempts to cope often end up making things harder. It has since become one of the most widely used and evidence-backed approaches in mental health treatment.

Dr. Weingarden received supervised DBT training at UPMC and has worked with the skills extensively across clinical contexts. His training also includes DBT-RO (Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy), a newer, evidence-based extension of DBT designed for people who tend toward emotional overcontrol rather than undercontrol.

The Four Core DBT Skill Areas

A DBT skills training program at WPS will cover some or all of the following areas, tailored to your specific needs:

• Mindfulness: learning to observe thoughts and emotions with awareness, rather than being driven by them

• Distress tolerance: building a toolkit for getting through painful moments without making the situation worse

• Emotion regulation: understanding the emotional patterns that cause the most difficulty, and developing tools to shift them over time

• Interpersonal effectiveness: communicating more clearly, setting limits, and maintaining relationships that matter

Who This Is For

DBT skills training can be valuable for a wide range of people. It is particularly well-suited for those experiencing:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and trauma responses

• Personality disorders, including borderline, narcissistic, and antisocial personality disorder

• Chronic emotional overwhelm or emotional dysregulation

• Self-destructive coping patterns that are difficult to change

• Overcontrolled emotional patterns (for whom DBT-RO may be especially relevant)

Interested in DBT skills training in Pittsburgh? Request an appointment or call 412-240-5686.

How Skills Training Works at WPS

Skills training at WPS is intentionally different from ongoing therapy. Here’s what you can expect:

Structured and time-limited:

Sessions are organized around specific topics and goals. The number of sessions is determined at the outset based on what you need to cover, there’s a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Self-pay:

Skills training sessions are self-pay and not billed through insurance. Dr. Weingarden’s office can provide a superbill upon request, which you may be able to submit for out-of-network reimbursement depending on your plan. Call 412-240-5686 to ask about current rates.

Available to individuals and family members:

You don’t need to be the person with the diagnosis to benefit. These programs are specifically designed to be accessible and useful to family members, partners, and caregivers who want to understand and support someone they love.

In-person or telehealth:

Skills training sessions are available in person at our Aspinwall office in Pittsburgh, or via secure telehealth video sessions throughout Pennsylvania.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is specialized skills training, and how is it different from therapy?

Skills training is a structured, time-limited program focused on teaching specific tools and techniques for managing a particular condition, such as bipolar disorder, an eating disorder, or emotion dysregulation. Unlike ongoing therapy, which tends to be exploratory and open-ended, skills training has a defined scope and endpoint.

Who offers skills training at Weingarden Psychological Services?

Skills training programs are led by Dr. Jon Weingarden, PsyD, who has deep specialized experience in bipolar disorder (including IPSRT training under Dr. Ellen Frank), eating disorders (from his clinical leadership role at UPMC’s Western Psychiatric Hospital), and DBT.

Is skills training covered by insurance?

Skills training sessions are self-pay and not billed to insurance. A superbill can be provided upon request for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Call 412-240-5686 to discuss rates and scheduling.

Can family members participate in skills training?

Yes. These programs are specifically designed for both individuals living with these conditions and family members or partners who want to better understand and support their loved one.

How many sessions does skills training involve?

The number of sessions depends on which topics need to be covered and what’s most relevant for your situation. This is discussed and agreed upon at the start of your program.

Do you offer DBT skills training in Pittsburgh?

Yes. Dr. Weingarden provides DBT skills training for individuals experiencing emotion dysregulation, PTSD, personality disorders, and related concerns, available in person in Aspinwall, Pittsburgh, and via telehealth throughout Pennsylvania.

Do you offer bipolar disorder education and skills support in Pittsburgh?

Yes. Dr. Weingarden’s bipolar disorder skills program draws from IPSRT, the leading evidence-based approach for managing bipolar disorder. Sessions are available for individuals and family members, in person and via telehealth.

Ready to Learn More?

If you’re wondering whether a skills training program might be the right fit for you or someone you love, we’d be happy to talk it through.

Interested in a skills training program? Call 412-240-5686