1introduction to This Book
This book contains informational handouts and worksheets for people learning 
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills. The overall goal of DBT skills training 
is to help you increase your resilience and build a life experienced as worth living. 
DBT skills are aimed at teaching a synthesis of how to change what is and how to accept what is. Skills teach you both how to change unwanted behaviors, emotions, 
thoughts, and events in your life that cause you misery and distress as well as how 
to live in the moment, accepting what is. There are different sets of DBT skills, and no single training program will include all of the handouts and worksheets in this book. Your skills trainer or individual therapist/case manager will direct you to the 
appropriate handouts and worksheets for your particular program.
How This Book Is Organized
There are five main sections in this book, and each begins with a brief introduc -
tion. Following a first section on General Skills, there is a section of handouts and worksheets for each of the four main DBT skills modules: Mindfulness Skills, Inter -
personal Effectiveness Skills, Emotion Regulation Skills, and Distress Tolerance 
Skills. There are topical subsections of handouts and worksheets within each skills module, as described below. Every skill or set of skills has a corresponding handout 
with instructions for practicing that skill. Nearly every handout has at least one 
(often more than one) associated worksheet for recording your practice of the skill. The introductions to each section summarize the handouts, their purposes, and the worksheets that go with them.
General Skills: Orientation and Analyzing Behavior
During Orientation , you will be introduced to DBT and the goals of skills train -
ing, and will be encouraged to identify your own personal goals. You will also be