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From DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition  by Marsha M. Linehan. Copyright 2015 by Marsha M. Linehan. Permis -
sion to photocopy this worksheet is granted to purchasers of this book for personal use only (see copyright page for details). Purchasers may 
download a larger version of this worksheet from www.guilford.com/dbt-  
worksheets .eMotion re Gulation WorksHeet 2a   (Emotion Regulation Handout 3)
example: f iguring o ut What m y emotions a re Doing 
for me
Due Date:       Name:                   Week Starting:  
Select a current or recent emotional reaction and fill out as much of this sheet as you can. If the 
prompting event for the emotion you are working on is another emotion that occurred first (for exam -
ple, feeling afraid prompted getting angry at yourself), then fill out a second worksheet for that first 
emotion. Use the back of the sheet if necessary. Use describe skills for each question.
emoTion n ame:    Shame and Guilt              inTenSiTy (0–100):  80 
prompting e vent
What happened to prompt this emotion?
 I left my roommate’s pot on the burner and forgot about it. I destroyed it. I then threw the pot away without telling my roommate.
motivation to a ction
What action was my emotion motivating and preparing me to do? (Was there a problem my emotion was getting me to solve, overcome, or avoid?) What function or goal did my emotion 
serve?
 My emotion was motivating me to shrink away from my friend, to hide myself. It’s possible that the function was to get me to change that behavior. The emotion was also functioning to get me to try to hide that I destroyed the pot.