Book A Free Consultation
dbt tools

A Complete Guide to DBT Tools You Can Start Using Today

December 18, 2025
Blog, DBT Therapy, Mental Health, Types of Therapy
Dr. Matthew Mandelbaum

As a psychologist, I’ve had the privilege of working with highly sensitive and intelligent individuals. From professionals in demanding fields like tech and law to university students navigating new challenges, I’ve seen a common thread: a desire to manage intense emotions and build a more fulfilling life. Many of my clients face anxiety, overwhelming stress, and difficulties with impulse control or relationship patterns. This is where Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) becomes an incredibly powerful and practical resource.

DBT is more than just a therapeutic approach; it’s a set of teachable skills that you can start using today to build emotional resilience. These tools are designed to help you navigate life’s complexities with greater confidence and clarity. My goal in this guide is to introduce you to these accessible DBT tools and techniques so you can begin your journey toward lasting well-being.

What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based approach that blends behavioral science, mindfulness practices, and concepts of acceptance. Developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, it was originally created to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, its effectiveness has since been proven for a wide range of mental health challenges, including PTSD, ADHD, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, and general emotional dysregulation.

The “dialectical” part of the name refers to the idea of balancing two seemingly opposite concepts: acceptance and change. In DBT, we learn to accept ourselves and our current reality without judgment, while simultaneously working to change unhelpful behaviors and build a better future. At Groundbreaker Therapy, I often integrate DBT therapy with other modalities to create a personalized, integrative experience for my clients. While DBT can be taught in group therapy settings, individual sessions allow for a deeply tailored approach to skills training.

Core DBT Tools Everyone Should Know

The power of DBT lies in its structured and practical framework, organized into four key modules. These modules work together to support your emotional well-being and provide a comprehensive set of DBT tools for daily life.

Ready to Start Therapy?

Your healing journey can begin today. Fill out the form below to connect with a therapist who truly listens and understands.

  1. Mindfulness: The foundation of DBT, mindfulness teaches you to be present in the moment and observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment.
  2. Emotion Regulation: This module helps you understand your emotions, reduce your vulnerability to negative feelings, and manage intense emotional responses effectively.
  3. Distress Tolerance: These skills are for surviving crisis situations without making them worse. They provide healthy coping skills to manage overwhelming moments.
  4. Interpersonal Effectiveness: This module focuses on helping you build and maintain healthy relationships, communicate your needs clearly, and preserve your self-respect.

Mindfulness Techniques to Bring Awareness Into Your Day

Mindfulness is the cornerstone of all DBT skills because it helps you slow down and become aware of your inner world without reacting impulsively. In my DBT work with clients, I emphasize simple techniques that can be practiced anywhere.

  • Observe Your Breath: Simply focus on the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your body. When your mind wanders, gently guide it back to your breath. This is a powerful tool to anchor yourself in the present.
  • Proceed Mindfully: Instead of multitasking or rushing, bring your full attention to one activity. Whether you’re washing dishes or walking to your car, notice the sights, sounds, and sensations involved in the task.
  • Grounding with Sensory Awareness: When you feel overwhelmed, name five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This pulls your focus out of your head and into your physical environment.
  • “Cold Water” Skill: To quickly reduce intense emotions, you can splash cold water on your face or hold an ice pack on your wrists or the back of your neck. This triggers a physiological response that helps calm your nervous system.

For example, a client preparing for a stressful presentation might use the “observe your breath” technique for a few minutes beforehand to reduce anxiety and clear their mind.

Emotion Regulation: Understanding and Managing Intense Emotions

To achieve personal growth, you must first understand your emotions. DBT dialectical behavior therapy provides practical tools to manage them, rather than being managed by them. Building emotional resilience is a key goal here.

  • Opposite Action: This skill involves identifying an unhelpful emotion and acting opposite to its urge. If you feel anxious and want to avoid a social event, the opposite action would be to go. This can change the emotion itself over time.
  • The ABC PLEASE Skills: This set of skills helps reduce your vulnerability to painful emotions. It involves accumulating positive experiences (A), building mastery (B), coping ahead for stressful events (C), and taking care of your physical health (PL: treat Physical illness, E: balance Eating, A: avoid mood-Altering drugs, S: balance Sleep, E: get Exercise).
  • Increasing Positive Experiences: Intentionally scheduling pleasant activities into your daily life builds a reserve of positive emotions, making you less susceptible to negative ones.

Imagine you feel a wave of sadness and the urge to isolate yourself. Using “Opposite Action,” you might call a friend or go for a walk in a park. This action can directly counter the feeling of sadness and help you feel more connected. These strategies are incredibly effective for people struggling with borderline personality disorder, anxiety, and PTSD.

Distress Tolerance Skills for Crisis Moments

Sometimes, situations are painful and cannot be changed immediately. Distress tolerance skills are your toolkit for getting through these crisis moments without resorting to impulsive behaviors that could make things worse.

  • TIPP: This acronym stands for Temperature (using cold water), Intense exercise (to burn off anxious energy), Paced breathing (slowing your breath to calm your body), and Paired muscle relaxation (tensing and releasing muscles).
  • Radical Acceptance: This means fully and completely accepting reality as it is, without judgment or resistance. It doesn’t mean you approve of the situation, but you stop fighting what you cannot change.
  • Distract, Self-Soothe, and Improve the Moment: When in distress, you can distract yourself with a healthy activity, self-soothe using your five senses (like listening to calming music or lighting a candle), or find small ways to improve the present moment.

For example, if you receive upsetting news and feel an urge toward self-harm, you could use the TIPP skills. You might start by splashing your face with cold water, followed by doing 20 jumping jacks. This can create enough of a mental shift to prevent a harmful action and reduce stress.

Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills to Strengthen Relationships

For many people with intense emotions, relationships can feel like a minefield. The interpersonal effectiveness skills in DBT therapy teach you how to communicate your needs, set boundaries, and maintain your self-respect.

The cornerstone skill is DEAR MAN:

  • Describe the situation factually.
  • Express your feelings and opinions.
  • Assert your needs or wants clearly.
  • Reinforce the other person by explaining the positive outcomes of getting what you want.
  • Stay Mindful and focused on your goal.
  • Appear confident in your posture and tone.
  • Negotiate a solution if needed.

Here’s a short script example using DEAR MAN to ask for a change at work: “(D) When projects are assigned at the last minute, (E) I feel overwhelmed and stressed. (A) I would like to have at least two days’ notice for new assignments. (R) This would allow me to produce higher-quality work and better manage my schedule.”

How to Use Diary Cards to Track Your Progress

A DBT workbook or program will often include diary cards, and for good reason. Diary cards are a valuable tool for tracking your emotions, urges, and the DBT skills you practice each day. They help you notice patterns, see how your practice is reducing symptoms, and hold yourself accountable.

In my practice, I help clients tailor their diary cards to focus on their specific goals. For instance, someone might track their anxiety levels, their urges to procrastinate, and whether they used a mindfulness skill that day. This data becomes a powerful resource for our therapy sessions.

How These DBT Tools Support Long-Term Healing

Consistent DBT work leads to profound, lasting change. By practicing these skills, you are actively rewiring your brain’s response to stress. You build a greater sense of emotional resilience, improve your impulse control, and cultivate genuine self-compassion. For those struggling with the echoes of trauma, anxiety, or ADHD, these tools offer a path toward inner peace and stability. The journey is about personal growth and discovering you have the power to create a life that feels authentic and balanced.

When DBT Therapy Is Right for You

You may benefit from DBT if you often feel overwhelmed by your emotions, struggle in your relationships, experience cycles of panic or shame, or feel stuck in patterns of burnout. If you find yourself in crisis or battling urges to engage in harmful behaviors, these skills can provide a lifeline. I help professionals, creatives, emerging adults, and students across 43 states who are ready to do this work. My approach at Groundbreaker Therapy is always personalized, evidence-based, and compassionate.

How to Start DBT Work With Groundbreaker Therapy

Your journey begins with a comprehensive assessment where we collaboratively set goals for your therapy. From there, we work step-by-step to learn and apply the skills that are most relevant to you. Through virtual sessions, we can engage in skills training, coaching, and integrated therapeutic work tailored to your needs. You can expect a supportive, judgment-free space backed by years of clinical experience.

Mental Health Resources

You Can Build a More Fulfilling Life With DBT Tools

Healing is not a destination but a process of building skills and resilience. The DBT tools outlined here are practical, effective, and available to you right now. With consistent practice, you can develop the clarity, confidence, and emotional strength to shape a meaningful and fulfilling life.

I am dedicated to helping individuals like you overcome emotional barriers and move forward with purpose. If you are ready to take the next step, I invite you to schedule a consultation to see how we can work together.