My skills list
The three or four skills that actually work for you, written where you will see them. Not the full curriculum.
PDF, 1 page, 2.1 kB. US Letter, prints in black and white. No email required.
When to use it
Fill it in once, early, and put it somewhere physical — the fridge, inside a cupboard door, by the bed.
How to fill it in
- Fill each box with what you would actually reach for, not what you think you should.
- Separate them by state: what works when you can still think, and what works when you cannot.
- Name a person and write the first sentence you would say to them. Deciding the words in advance is most of what makes the call possible.
- Use the last box for what you will not do, however reasonable it sounds at three in the morning.
The thing that makes it useless
Listing twenty skills. Nobody consults a menu at the peak of an urge — the whole point is that this is short enough to read in one glance.
The other worksheets
An original worksheet implementing skills that are widely taught and publicly described. It is not a reproduction of the published DBT handouts, which are copyrighted by their publisher, and nothing here is affiliated with or endorsed by the developers of DBT. If you are in a programme, use whatever your team gives you — a diary card your therapist designed is the one they will be reading.
General information, not clinical advice; the people described are composites, not real clients. DBT skills are not a substitute for treatment or for a safety plan. Listings on this site are maintained by independent practices. If you are in immediate danger, call 911; the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text any time.