Our Mission
The Asia-Pacific Association for DBT (APAC-DBT) is a regional Chapter of the World DBT Association (WDBTA). We share the goals of WDBTA and seek to implement these at our regional level by:
- Promoting training and best practices of DBT in the Asia Pacific, in accordance with up-to-date scientific evidence and generally accepted principles and methods of DBT;
- Supporting dissemination and utilization of DBT in the Asia Pacific;
- Encouraging and enhancing the international cooperation of people working in the spirit of evidence based DBT;
- Fostering the communication, understanding, and integration of research findings, in order to enhance the effectiveness of DBT;
- Encouraging the development of scientific research on DBT and related fields;
- Maintaining treatment integrity and advocating adherence to guidelines for treatment and training in DBT;
- Extending the range of applications of DBT.
Our People
APAC-DBT is established as a regional chapter of the World DBT Association (WDBTA). A transitional Board of Directors was formed at the inaugural membership meeting on 4 August 2023, comprising three directors: Sian Jeffrey (Australia), Cathryn Pilcher (Australia), and Kirsten Davis (New Zealand). As of September 2025, APAC-DBT is formally registered as a non-profit, non-governmental association based in Australia.
The association is run by an Executive Committee with the following governance structure:
Chair: Dr Shian-Ling Keng, Sunway University, Malaysia
Vice-Chair: Dr Chun Wang, Nanjing Brain Hospital, China
Secretary: Ms Cathryn Pilcher, Spectrum, Melbourne, Australia
Treasurer: Dr Sian Jeffery, Fremantle Mental Health Service, Perth, Australia
Head of Marketing and Publicity: Dr Michelle Tan, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore
Head of Events Committee: Dr Sichu Wu, Nanjing Brain Hospital, China (subcommittee members: Dr Natalia Dewi, Deponegoro University, Indonesia, Ms Mie Takaki, DBT Tokyo, Japan)
Head of Membership Committee: Dr Kirsten Davis, DBT New Zealand, New Zealand (subcommittee member: Dr Long Kwan Laurie Ho, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China)
Head of Online Presence: Mr Mike Batcheler, DBT New Zealand, New Zealand
Administrative Assistant: Ms Yuhang Toh
Membership
Click here to learn more about membership and how to join the APAC-DBT.