In Memoriam: Marsha M. Linehan

"It is hard to be happy without a life worth living. This is a fundamental tenet of DBT. Of course, all lives are worth living in reality. No life is not worth living. But what is important is that you experience your life as worth living—one that is satisfying, and one that brings happiness." — Marsha M. Linehan

Guilford mourns the loss of Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, the pioneering developer of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). We were privileged to have a long and productive working relationship with Dr. Linehan, starting with the 1993 publication of the foundational DBT manual, Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. Originally developed to help chronically suicidal individuals diagnosed with BPD, DBT was the first psychotherapy scientifically proven to be effective with this population. It has since been applied and studied worldwide as a gold-standard treatment for a variety of severe and complex mental health challenges.

Dr. Linehan was a renowned researcher; a deeply compassionate clinician; and a beloved educator, mentor, and friend. In her 2021 memoir, she wrote eloquently about the teenage struggle with suicidality and despair that inspired her career: "I made a vow to God that I would get myself out of hell and that, once I did, I would go back into hell and get others out. That vow has guided and controlled most of my life since then."

Dr. Linehan was Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Director Emeritus of the Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics at the University of Washington. Her contributions to suicide research and clinical psychology research have been recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology, the Career/Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Application of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation, and the James McKeen Cattell Award from the Association for Psychological Science. In her honor, the American Association of Suicidology created the Marsha Linehan Award for Outstanding Research in the Treatment of Suicidal Behavior. Dr. Linehan was featured in TIME Great Scientists: The Geniuses and Visionaries Who Transformed Our World. She was founder of the Linehan Institute and was a Zen master.