Worksheet
DBT Emotional Regulation Skills
This DBT emotional regulation worksheet introduces four core emotion regulation skills designed to help clients navigate intense emotions with more ease. Originally developed for dialectical behavior therapy, these tools support clients dealing with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or other symptoms related to borderline personality disorder.
How to Use This Worksheet
This DBT Emotional Regulation Skills Worksheet outlines foundational emotion regulation skills, such as opposite action and cope ahead, helping clients recognize, label, and respond to intense emotions more effectively. Therapists can guide clients through each exercise in session or assign this worksheet as between-session practice to support long-term emotion regulation and reduce emotional suffering.
Who It’s For
This worksheet is ideal for clients experiencing emotional dysregulation related to borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or eating disorders. It’s especially helpful for individuals working through interpersonal conflict, impulsive behaviors, or difficulty identifying and expressing their own emotions.
Expected Outcomes
- Improved ability to regulate intense emotions like fear, anger, and sadness
- Greater emotional awareness and vocabulary around primary and secondary emotions
- Development of effective coping strategies and distress tolerance skills
- Reduced emotional vulnerability and reactivity over time
Related Topics
References
Linehan, M. M. (1993). Skills training manual for treating borderline personality disorder. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Frequently Asked Questions About DBT Emotional Regulation Skills Resources
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