Your DBT
Skills Toolkit

Evidence-based tools for building a life worth living. Tap any module to explore skills, or use the interactive tools inside each section.

Module 1
Distress Tolerance
8 skills + tools
Module 2
Interpersonal Effectiveness
6 skills + DEAR MAN
Module 3
Emotional Regulation
7 skills + mood check
Module 4
Mindfulness
6 skills + breathing
Extra Toolbox
Breathwork & Body-Based Practices
5 guided exercises + PMR
Journal
DBT Journal & Reflection
DBT prompts · mood tags · export
Worksheets
Biosocial Theory · Chain Analysis · Pros & Cons
Fillable · exportable
"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."
— Jon Kabat-Zinn
"Radical acceptance is the willingness to accept facts of reality as they are."
— Marsha M. Linehan
Module 1
Distress Tolerance
Skills for surviving crisis moments without making things worse. These are meant for high-intensity situations when you need to get through — not fix — a problem.

The STOP skill creates a pause between trigger and response. Work through each step — don't rush. The timer keeps you here long enough for the impulse to soften.

S
Stop
Don't act. Freeze completely.

Put down your phone. Don't send the message. Don't walk toward the situation. Do not move a muscle. Your emotion is not an emergency — not yet.

T
Take a step back
Create physical and mental distance.

If you can, physically move away. Take a slow breath. Feel your feet on the floor. You are separating yourself from the intensity of this moment — that separation is the skill.

O
Observe
Notice without reacting.

What emotion is here? Where do you feel it in your body? What thoughts are present? What actually happened — just the facts? Observe like a witness, not a participant.

P
Proceed mindfully
Choose your next action intentionally.

What is your actual goal in this situation? What response would you be proud of? Now act from that place — not from the emotion that first fired.

💡 When to useUse STOP the moment you feel the urge to do something you might regret — send an angry message, say something hurtful, act on a self-destructive impulse. Even a 10-second pause changes outcomes.

TIPP targets your nervous system directly. Pick a technique and let the timer guide you through it.

❄️
Temperature
Cold water · 30s
🏃
Intense Exercise
Burpees/jumping · 5 min
🌬️
Paced Breathing
4-6 pattern · 3 min
💆
Relaxation
Muscle release · 5 min
⚠️ NoteAvoid the cold water technique if you have a heart condition. All TIPP skills are most effective during peak emotional intensity.
🏄 Urge Surfing
Rate your urge intensity right now. Watch how it naturally rises and falls without acting on it.
Tap a number to begin surfing your urge.
ACCEPTS Skills — Distract with ACCEPTS

ACCEPTS is an acronym for 7 ways to distract yourself during a crisis. These aren't avoidance — they're short-term survival tools to get through intense moments without making things worse.

A
Activities
Do something engaging: clean, cook, play a game, exercise, create, or any absorbing hobby. The goal is full attention on something else.
C
Contributing
Help someone else. Volunteer, text a friend, do something kind. Shifting focus outward breaks the inward spiral.
C
Comparisons
Compare to a harder time you survived, or to others managing more difficult situations. Perspective can reduce intensity.
E
Emotions
Create a different emotion intentionally — a movie, music, reading, or anything that reliably shifts your emotional state.
P
Pushing Away
Mentally set the problem aside temporarily. Imagine boxing it up. You can return to it later — not now.
T
Thoughts
Replace rumination with counting, puzzles, reciting something, or anything that occupies your thinking mind.
S
Sensations
Use intense but safe physical sensation: hold ice, splash cold water, taste something strong, feel a texture.
Remember — ACCEPTS is not about denying your feelings — it's about buying time so you don't act impulsively. You can return to the problem when the crisis has passed.

Radical acceptance doesn't mean you approve of what happened — it means you stop fighting against reality. Fighting reality causes suffering layered on top of pain. It doesn't change the facts — it changes your relationship to them.

Observe the fighting
"I'm telling myself this shouldn't be happening." That noticing — that's the first act of acceptance. You can't let go of what you haven't yet held.
Acknowledge reality as it is
This is what happened. It is already real, regardless of your wishes. Fighting it doesn't undo it — it only costs you energy and extends the pain.
Count the cost of non-acceptance
Notice what refusing to accept is costing you right now — in energy, in suffering, in time. Non-acceptance is not neutral. It is active pain.
Accept in your body
Relax clenched fists. Unclench your jaw. Drop your shoulders. Let breath in. Acceptance lives in the body, not just the mind.
Use a coping statement
"This is what is. I can tolerate this moment." Repeat it with your breath. The statement is not resignation — it's returning your energy to what's workable.
Important — Acceptance is not approval. You can fully accept a reality while still working to change it. Radical acceptance is the foundation, not the ceiling.

Self-soothing uses sensory experience to calm your nervous system. Each sense has a direct line to your autonomic state. Prepare a personal self-soothe kit before you need it — crises are not the time to improvise.

Vision
Candles, nature, art, photos of people or places you love, the sky, flowing water. Let your eyes rest on something beautiful without agenda.
Hearing
Calming music, nature sounds, rain, a favorite podcast, silence. Sound bypasses cognitive processing and reaches the nervous system directly.
Smell
Lotion, essential oils, baking, fresh air, rain, coffee, anything that carries a safe memory. Scent is uniquely tied to memory and emotion.
Taste
Herbal tea, a favorite food eaten mindfully, something sour or sweet. Eat slowly — let the taste become the full focus of attention.
Touch
Soft blanket, warm bath, petting an animal, gentle self-massage, the weight of something warm. Physical comfort is not indulgence — it's regulation.

In crisis, your rational mind goes offline. Using Pros & Cons re-engages it by forcing you to think about consequences — not just immediate relief. The key is to make this list in advance, while calm.

Pros of tolerating distress
What actually happens if I resist? What do I protect — my relationships, my self-respect, my values, my goals? Write these down specifically.
Cons of tolerating distress
What am I giving up by not acting? Acknowledge this honestly — it's real. Name the short-term cost without judgment.
Pros of acting on the crisis urge
Be honest — what relief, escape, or release would it bring? Naming this without shame makes the list real and useful.
Cons of acting on the crisis urge
What are the long-term costs — to relationships, trust, goals, self-respect, the next day? Let future-you speak here.
Make it in advance — Write this list during a calm moment. In a real crisis, don't build it — read what past-you wrote. Crisis-you and calm-you are different people.
✨ IMPROVE the Moment
When you can't change the situation, improve how you're experiencing it right now. Tap each letter to explore strategies.
Module 2
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Skills for maintaining relationships, asking for what you need, saying no, and keeping your self-respect — all at the same time.
📝 Interpersonal Script Builder
Build a script for your conversation using DEAR MAN, GIVE, or FAST. Each generates a ready-to-use script you can export.
D
Describe the situation objectively (just the facts)
E
Express your feelings with "I" statements
A
Assert your request or say no clearly
R
Reinforce — explain the benefit to them too
M
Mindful — what's your core goal here?
N
Negotiate — what could you offer or compromise on?
Use GIVE when keeping the relationship matters as much as your goal. Fill in how you plan to use each element.
G
Gentle — how will you stay non-threatening?
I
Interested — how will you show you're listening?
V
Validate — what's understandable about their position?
E
Easy Manner — how will you keep it light?
Use FAST when keeping your self-respect matters most. Describe how you'll protect your integrity in this situation.
F
Fair — how will you be fair to both of you?
A
No Apologies — what will you NOT apologize for?
S
Stick to Values — what value won't you compromise?
T
Truthful — what will you be honest about?
Core Interpersonal Skills

DEAR MAN is the core skill for making requests or saying no. The first four letters help you communicate clearly; the last three help you stay effective when the conversation gets hard.

D
Describe
State the situation with just the observable facts — no interpretations, no blame. "When you said X" not "You always."
E
Express
Share your feelings with I-statements: "I feel hurt" not "You made me feel." Own your emotional experience.
A
Assert
State clearly what you want or don't want. Don't hint. Don't hope they'll read your mind. Be direct and specific.
R
Reinforce
Explain the benefit to them too. People cooperate more when they can see what's in it for the relationship or for them.
M
Mindful
Stay focused on your goal. If they attack, deflect, or change the subject — notice it and gently return. Broken record if needed.
A
Appear confident
Confident tone, upright posture, steady eye contact — even if you don't feel it. How you deliver matters as much as what you say.
N
Negotiate
Be willing to offer alternatives, compromise, or ask what they need too. Flexibility isn't weakness when your goal is connection.
Remember — Use the Script Builder above to draft your DEAR MAN before the conversation. Rehearsing it — even silently — dramatically increases effectiveness.

Use GIVE when maintaining the relationship matters as much as getting what you want. It keeps the interaction warm, non-threatening, and connection-preserving.

G
Gentle
No attacks, no threats, no eye-rolls, no sneering, no contempt. Even when you're frustrated — especially then. Contempt ends conversations.
I
Interested
Actually listen. Put down the phone. Make eye contact. Ask questions. Show that you genuinely care about their perspective, not just your outcome.
V
Validate
Acknowledge their feelings as understandable given their experience — even if you disagree. "I can see why you'd feel that way" is not agreement.
E
Easy manner
Lightness, a little humor, a soft tone. You don't have to be intense about everything. People open up when they don't feel cornered.
Combine — DEAR MAN + GIVE together: use DEAR MAN to ask clearly, GIVE to keep the relationship intact while you do. The combination is far more powerful than either alone.

FAST is for situations where your self-respect matters most — where you don't want to compromise your values, apologize for existing, or act helpless just to keep the peace.

F
Fair
Be fair to both yourself and the other person. Don't be a doormat, but don't be a bulldozer. Self-respect isn't selfishness.
A
No excessive apologies
Don't apologize for making a request, for existing, for having needs, or for disagreeing. Save apologies for actual wrongs.
S
Stick to values
Don't compromise what genuinely matters to you just to avoid conflict or gain approval. Short-term peace bought with self-betrayal costs more long-term.
T
Truthful
Don't lie, don't exaggerate, don't play helpless to manipulate. Act from integrity — not strategy.
When to use — Use FAST when you're tempted to cave, apologize excessively, or agree with something that violates your values. It's the skill for holding your ground with dignity.

Validating someone doesn't mean agreeing with them — it means showing that their feelings make sense given who they are and what they've been through. Validation is one of the most powerful things you can offer another person.

1
Pay attention
Put the phone down. Make eye contact. Face them. The most basic validation is presence — showing that they exist and matter to you right now.
2
Accurate reflection
Reflect back what you heard in their own words. "So what I'm hearing is..." — this shows you actually received what they sent.
3
Name the unspoken
Identify feelings or needs they haven't said out loud. "It sounds like you might also be feeling..." — this is deep listening.
4
Validate from history
"Of course you feel this way given what you've been through." Connect their current feeling to their lived experience. It makes total sense.
5
Normalize
"Anyone would feel that way." This is powerful — it lifts shame and isolation. The feeling isn't a defect; it's human.
6
Radical genuineness
Treat them as fully capable, equal, and real — not fragile or broken. The highest form of validation is treating someone like they can handle truth.
Remember — You don't have to agree to validate. "That makes sense that you'd feel hurt" is validation even if you see the situation completely differently.
Module 3
Emotional Regulation
Skills for understanding, reducing vulnerability to, and changing unwanted emotions. These work best when you're not already in crisis.
💜 Emotion Check-In
Use the feelings wheel to find exactly what you're feeling, then reflect and acknowledge it.
Step 1 — What are you feeling?
← All emotions ›
← All emotions › ›
Tap the word that fits best, then continue below
Step 2 — Reflect
Name it to tame it
What triggered this feeling?
Where do you feel it in your body?
What do you need right now?
Understanding & Changing Emotions

Neuroscientist Dr. Matthew Lieberman found that labeling an emotion — simply putting it into words — reduces activity in the amygdala (the brain's alarm system) and increases activity in the prefrontal cortex (your thinking brain). You don't have to fix the feeling. You just have to name it.

Without naming
Emotion floods the system. Amygdala is fully activated. Reactive behavior is more likely.
After naming
Prefrontal cortex engages. Alarm quiets. You have more space between stimulus and response.
Practice — name what's here right now
1
Name the emotion
Start with "I notice I am feeling..." — be as specific as you can. The more precise the label, the stronger the effect.
2
Locate it in your body
Emotions live in the body. Where do you feel this one? Chest, throat, stomach, jaw, shoulders?
3
Allow it to be here
You don't have to make it go away. Repeat: "This is [emotion]. It is temporary. I can feel this without acting on it."
📖 The science — Lieberman et al. (2007) showed that affect labeling reduces amygdala activation and increases prefrontal activity, even when participants were unaware of the regulatory effect. Naming is regulating.

Emotions are often triggered by interpretations, not just facts. Work through each question to see if your emotional response matches reality — or if it's being amplified by assumptions.

1
What emotion do you want to check?
2
What event or situation triggered it?
3
What are your interpretations or assumptions?
4
What are the actual observable facts?
5
Are there other possible interpretations?
6
Does your emotion fit the facts?

When your emotion doesn't fit the facts — or acting on it would make things worse — act fully opposite to what the emotion urges. Choose the emotion you're working with:

⚠️ Important Opposite action only works if done fully — half-hearted attempts often backfire. Go all the way.

Your physical health is the foundation of emotional resilience. Answer yes or no for each area to see your wellbeing score and get suggestions for anything that needs attention.

PL — Physical Illness
Are you managing your physical health?
Taking medications, treating illness, keeping appointments
💊 Suggestions Schedule any overdue appointments. If you've missed medications today, take them as soon as you remember (or follow your prescription guidance). Even small health neglect compounds emotional dysregulation.
E — Eating
Have you eaten balanced meals today?
Not skipping meals, not restricting, not binging
🍽️ Suggestions If you haven't eaten, have something — even a small snack. Blood sugar swings directly destabilize emotion. Aim for regular, balanced meals and avoid going more than 4–5 hours without eating.
A — Avoid Substances
Have you avoided mood-altering substances?
Alcohol, recreational drugs, excessive caffeine
⚠️ Suggestions Substances directly impair your ability to use DBT skills. Alcohol is a depressant — even one drink can lower emotional baseline. Notice what's driving the urge and consider using a distress tolerance skill instead.
S — Sleep
Did you sleep enough last night?
Roughly 7–9 hours; not drastically over or under
😴 Suggestions Sleep deprivation amplifies all negative emotions. If you're running low: limit caffeine after noon, protect a wind-down window, avoid screens 30 min before bed. Even a 20-min nap can help. Be gentler with yourself today — your emotional baseline is lower.
E — Exercise
Have you moved your body today?
Any movement counts — a walk, stretching, 10 minutes
🏃 Suggestions Even a 10-minute walk changes brain chemistry. Movement releases mood-regulating neurotransmitters, burns off stress hormones, and helps with sleep. It doesn't need to be intense — gentle movement still counts.
Wellbeing Score

Positive emotions are not a luxury — they build resilience. This skill is about intentionally increasing positive emotion in your life, not just waiting for it to happen.

Short-term
Do at least one pleasant thing each day. Don't wait until you "deserve" it.
Be mindful of positives
When something good happens, pay full attention to it. Let it register. Don't rush past it.
Long-term
Work toward goals and changes that create a life worth living — values-driven action, not just comfort.
Attend to relationships
Repair and maintain relationships that bring you joy. Connection is a core positive emotion builder.

Depression and emotional dysregulation erode your sense of competence. Deliberately doing things you're good at — or learning new skills — builds the emotional foundation of self-respect.

Identify your activities
What activities make you feel capable, successful, or skilled? List a few — they don't need to be impressive.
Do one daily
Plan to do at least one mastery activity every day. Schedule it — don't leave it to chance.
Calibrate the challenge
Make it challenging enough to feel meaningful — but achievable. Too easy builds nothing; too hard erodes confidence.
Remember — Mastery doesn't require being the best at something. It's the feeling of doing, learning, and growing. Even small wins count.
Module 4
Mindfulness
The foundation of all DBT skills. Mindfulness is about being fully present — observing your experience without judgment. The goal is to participate in your life, not just watch it.
🌬️ Guided Breathing
Slow, paced breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Exhale longer than you inhale.
Tap Start
4-6 breathing
🧭 Wise Mind Check
Write what each mind is telling you, then find your Wise Mind — the intersection of both.
💜 Emotion Mind
🔵 Reason Mind
🍃 Wise Mind — What do both together tell me?
Emotion
Mind
Reason
Mind
Wise
Mind
Reflection prompts
What does my gut tell me, underneath the emotion?
What would I advise a friend I love in this same situation?
Am I reacting from fear or from values?
What will I think of this decision in a year?
What Skills — How to Be Mindful

Observe means noticing your experience without immediately trying to change, analyze, or put it into words. Just witness what is happening right now — like watching weather move through the sky.

Body sensations
Notice temperature, pressure, tension, tingling. Where do you feel your breath? What does the chair feel like under you?
Thoughts as clouds
Watch thoughts appear and pass without grabbing onto them. You don't have to follow every thought — just notice it exists.
Emotions as waves
Notice emotions as physical sensations. Where in your body do you feel this? Emotions have a shape, a location, a texture.
The environment
Notice what's around you — sounds, light, space, temperature. Let your senses anchor you in the present moment.
Remember — If you catch yourself judging or analyzing, that's okay. Just observe that you're judging, and gently return.

Describe means applying words to what you observe — but only observable facts, not interpretations. This separates the raw experience from the story we layer on top of it.

Fact vs. interpretation
✓
"I notice tightness in my chest" — not "I'm anxious and something bad will happen"
✓
"I noticed the thought 'I'm a failure'" — not "I am a failure"
✓
"My face is hot" — not "I'm embarrassed and everyone is judging me"
The key — Describe the observable. Stick to what a video camera could capture. Opinions, interpretations, and predictions are not descriptions.

Participate is the opposite of being a spectator of your own life. It means becoming one with your experience — fully immersed, without the self-consciousness that keeps you at arm's length from your own moments.

Stop spectating
Step out of the observer role. Don't watch yourself doing the activity — just do it. Drop the inner commentator.
Immerse fully
Dance, sing, talk, work, or play without stepping outside to evaluate yourself. Let the experience absorb you completely.
Respond skillfully
Respond to each moment as it comes, without holding back. Act from your values, not from self-consciousness or fear of judgment.
How Skills — The Manner of Mindfulness

Judgments are not facts. Practicing non-judgment doesn't mean having no preferences — it means noticing when you add evaluative labels and practicing letting them go.

Catch the judgment
When a judgment appears, just name it: "I'm having a judgment right now." Don't fight it — simply notice it.
Replace with facts
"I made a mistake" instead of "I'm so stupid." Describe what happened — without the verdict. Facts are workable; judgments spiral.
Don't judge the judging
This only adds more layers. When you catch yourself judging, just notice it neutrally and return. That noticing is the skill working.

One-mindfully is the antidote to rumination and distraction. Focus completely on what you're doing right now. When your mind wanders — and it will — gently bring it back without judgment.

Be where you are
When eating, just eat. When walking, just walk. When talking, just talk. Put down the other thing — even mentally.
Return without judgment
When your mind wanders (it will, always), simply notice and return. There's no failure here — every return of attention is the practice.
Let go of multitasking
Divided attention is a myth. Doing one thing fully — with your whole mind — is how presence actually works. Quality over quantity.
Remember — The wandering mind is not the problem. The return is the practice. Each time you bring attention back, you are building the skill.
Extra Toolbox
Breathwork & Body Practices
Body-based exercises drawn from Linehan's DBT skills training. Use these for nervous system regulation, sleep, and deeper relaxation practice.
🌬️ Guided Breathing Exercises
Select a breathing pattern. The timer will guide you through each phase.
Tap Start
Ready
💆 Progressive Muscle Relaxation
From Linehan's DBT Skills Training Manual. Systematically tense and release each muscle group to reduce physical tension and emotional arousal. Allow 15–20 minutes.
Find a comfortable position — seated or lying down. Close your eyes if it feels safe. You will tense each muscle group for 5–7 seconds, then release and rest for 20–30 seconds, noticing the contrast between tension and relaxation.
About These Practices

Referenced in Linehan's DBT Skills Training Manual as a tool for reducing autonomic arousal before sleep. The extended hold and exhale activate the parasympathetic nervous system and lower heart rate, signaling to the body that it is safe to rest.

  • 4Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 counts
  • 7Hold your breath for 7 counts
  • 8Exhale completely through your mouth for 8 counts — make a whoosh sound
💡 When to useUse 4 cycles before sleep, or any time you need to shift from sympathetic (activated) to parasympathetic (rest) state. Do not exceed 4 cycles at a time when first starting.

Box breathing (also called square breathing) uses equal timing on all four phases to create a steady, regulated breathing rhythm. Used in DBT as part of the Paced Breathing skill family for reducing physiological tension during distress.

  • 4Inhale through your nose for 4 counts
  • 4Hold for 4 counts
  • 4Exhale slowly for 4 counts
  • 4Hold for 4 counts
💡 When to useDuring acute stress, before a difficult conversation, or any time you need to stabilize quickly. 4–6 cycles is usually enough to feel a shift.

PMR is included in Linehan's DBT Skills Training Manual as part of the Emotion Regulation and distress tolerance toolkit. It works on the principle that physical tension and emotional distress are interlinked — releasing one reliably reduces the other.

  • 1Tense the muscle group firmly but not painfully for 5–7 seconds
  • 2Release suddenly and completely
  • 3Rest for 20–30 seconds, noticing the warmth and heaviness of relaxation
  • 4Move to the next group — always working from feet to face
💡 Best resultsDaily practice builds a conditioned relaxation response. Even one session reduces emotional vulnerability. Particularly effective before sleep and after intense emotional experiences.
Journal
DBT Journal
Reflect, process, and track your experience. Entries are saved privately in your browser and never leave your device.
😌 How are you feeling overall?
Select your mood and rate its intensity
Rate your mood —
1
Low
5
Great
💜 What emotions are present?
Tap all that apply — select as many as you need
Anger
Sadness
Fear / Anxiety
Positive
Other
⭐ Skills used today
Tap all the skills you used or tried — multiple allowed
Distress Tolerance
Interpersonal
Emotion Regulation
Mindfulness
Body & Breathing
✍️ Journal Entry
Write freely or tap a prompt below
0 characters
DBT Prompts
📚 Past Entries
Worksheets
DBT Worksheets
Fillable worksheets based on Linehan's DBT Skills Training Manual. Use these to understand your patterns, analyze behavior chains, and weigh your choices.
What is Biosocial Theory?
Linehan's biosocial theory explains how emotional dysregulation develops. It is not a character flaw or weakness — it is the result of a biological sensitivity interacting with an invalidating environment over time.

Biological sensitivity means some people are born with a nervous system that is more reactive — emotions fire faster, reach higher peaks, and take longer to return to baseline. This is not a choice.

An invalidating environment is one where a person's emotional experiences are regularly dismissed, minimized, or punished — "You're too sensitive," "You shouldn't feel that way," "Just get over it." Over time, this teaches you that your emotions are wrong, shameful, or dangerous.

The combination creates a painful cycle: high sensitivity + repeated invalidation = difficulty regulating emotions, a deep distrust of one's own experience, and chronic emotional pain.
💡 Key insight from Linehan Emotional dysregulation is not your fault — it is a learned response to a mismatch between your biology and your environment. DBT is designed specifically to address both sides of this equation.
The Transaction Over Time
Linehan describes this as a transaction — not a one-time event, but an ongoing back-and-forth between the sensitive person and their environment. The person's intense emotions elicit stronger reactions from others; those reactions become more invalidating; the sensitivity intensifies in response.

This is why DBT focuses on both acceptance (you are doing the best you can) and change (you can learn new skills). Both are true at the same time.
✍️ Biosocial Theory — Personal Reflection
Use these prompts to connect the theory to your own story. There are no right answers.
My Biological Sensitivity
How would you describe your emotional sensitivity? What do you notice about how quickly or intensely you feel things?
My Environment Growing Up
In what ways was your emotional experience invalidated, dismissed, or punished growing up? (This could be family, school, culture, relationships.)
How the Transaction Played Out
Looking back, how did your sensitivity and your environment interact and reinforce each other over time?
What This Means for Me Now
How does understanding biosocial theory change how you see your struggles? What feels different when you see this as a biological + environmental equation, not a character flaw?
What is a Behavior Chain Analysis?
A behavior chain analysis (also called a chain analysis) is Linehan's primary tool for understanding why a problem behavior happened — not to assign blame, but to identify every link in the chain so you can find where to intervene differently next time.

Every problem behavior has a chain of events leading up to it: a vulnerability, a prompting event, thoughts, emotions, and actions — each one connecting to the next. Breaking any link in that chain changes the outcome.
💡 How to use this Think of a recent behavior you want to understand — something you did that you regret, or a pattern you want to change. Work through each step as honestly as you can. Self-compassion is essential here.
⛓️ Chain Analysis Worksheet
Work through each link in the chain, from vulnerability to consequences — then identify where you could intervene differently.
1
Vulnerability Factors
What made you more vulnerable that day? (Poor sleep, illness, hunger, stress, substances, recent conflict, cycle phase, low PLEASE score)
2
Prompting Event
What was the specific event that started the chain? Be precise — what happened, when, where, who was involved?
3
Thoughts & Interpretations
What went through your mind? What did you tell yourself about the event?
4
Emotions & Body Sensations
What emotions arose? What did you feel in your body? (Rate intensity 1–10)
5
Actions Leading Up
What did you do (or not do) in the moments before the problem behavior? What small actions made it more likely?
6
Problem Behavior
What was the specific behavior you want to understand or change? Be honest and specific.
7
Consequences
What happened as a result — short term and long term? For you and for others?
✦
Where Could You Intervene?
Looking at each link in the chain — where could you have broken it? What skill could you have used at each point?
Pros & Cons Worksheet
From Linehan's DBT Skills Training Manual — this worksheet is used to weigh the full costs and benefits of tolerating distress versus acting on a crisis urge. Completing it in advance (while calm) gives you something to return to when emotions are high.

Fill in all four quadrants. The goal is not to find a "right answer" — it's to engage your rational mind alongside your emotional mind so your Wise Mind can make a more informed choice.
⚖️ Pros & Cons Worksheet
Describe the situation and crisis urge below, then fill in all four quadrants honestly.
The Situation
What is the crisis situation? What urge or behavior are you weighing?
Tolerating the distress (not acting on the urge)
✓ Pros
✗ Cons
Acting on the urge / crisis behavior
✓ Pros
✗ Cons
My Wise Mind Conclusion
After looking at all four quadrants, what does your Wise Mind say? What will you choose, and why?