Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Quick Reference List
Rachel Gill © 2013, ref. Dr. Marsha M. Linehan, Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder © 1993 Guilford Press
Skills Training AAA Model
Awareness
Acceptance
Action
Mindfulness Skills
How Skills What Skills
One-mindfully Observe
Non-judgmentally Describe
Effective Participate
Problem Solving
1. Identify Problem
2. Gather Data
3. Analyze Data
4. Find Solution
Behavior Analysis
1. Name the behavior
2. List vulnerabilities
3. Prompting event
4. Problem thoughts
5. Problem emotions
6. Short term positive
consequences
7. Long term negative
Consequence
8. Find a skill to do
instead of behavior
Create Smart Goals
Specific
Meaningful
Achievable
Recordable
Timeline plan
Reality Acceptance Skills
Pain + Non-acceptance = Suffering
Turn the Mind
Radical Acceptance
Practice Willingness
Notice Willfulness
Distress Tolerance Skills
Activities
Contributing
Comparisons
Emotion opposites
Pushing away
Thoughts
Sensations
Imagery
Meaning
Prayer
Relaxation
One thing at a time
Vacation
Encouragement
Self Soothe with the Senses
Taste
Smell
Sight
Hearing
Touch
Temperature
Intense physical exertion
Paced breathing
Emotion Regulation Skills
Goals are to:
Understand Emotional Experience
Reduce Emotional Vulnerability
Decrease Emotional Suffering
Accumulate Positive Experiences
Build Mastery
Cope ahead of time
Treat
Physical
iLlness
Eat balanced meals
Avoid mood-altering drugs
Sleep balanced
Exercise
Validate
Imagine
Take small steps
Applaud yourself
Lighten your load
Sweeten the pot
Pros & Cons of changing emotion
Be mindful of current emotion
Figure out what actions your
emotions are motivating you to do
For justified emotions use opposite
to emotion action
For unjustified emotions prompt
emotion opposite to current one
Check the facts
Interpersonal
Effectiveness Skills
Describe
Express
Assert
Reinforce
Mindful
Appear confident
Negotiate
Gentle
Interested
Validate
Easy manner
Fair
Apology free
Stick to values
Truthfulness
