LSTherapy with Lisha Shi
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DBT Skills Studio
Practical DBT skills • interactive • private on your device

Build skills for intense moments and everyday life.

Use this toolkit to notice what is happening, choose a skill, practice it, and track what helps. It focuses on four core DBT areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Help me choose a skillOpen practice tools
How intense is this moment?
35
You may have enough bandwidth to slow down, name the emotion, and choose a skill deliberately.
Mindfulness

Notice clearly

Observe, describe, participate, and move toward Wise Mind.

Distress tolerance

Survive the moment

Get through a crisis without making it worse.

Emotion regulation

Respond, not react

Understand emotions and choose effective action.

Relationships

Ask, connect, protect

Balance goals, relationships, and self-respect.

What do you need right now?

Pick the closest match. The goal is not to find a perfect skill—just a workable next step.

Suggested starting point
Choose a situation on the left.

Skill library

Short, client-friendly summaries. Expand any skill for a quick practice.

Wise Mind

Integrate emotion and reason

Notice what Emotion Mind says, what Reasonable Mind says, then look for the response that fits your values and the facts.

Try it
1Name what you feel.
2Name what the facts suggest.
3Ask: “What response can honor both?”
WHAT

Observe • Describe • Participate

Observe what is present, describe it with factual language, then fully enter the activity you choose.

Try it

For 60 seconds, notice three sensations, three sounds, and three visible details. Describe them without evaluation.

HOW

Nonjudgmentally • One-mindfully • Effectively

Practice without adding labels, do one thing at a time, and focus on what works in this situation.

Try it

Replace “This is awful” with a factual description, then choose one next action.

STOP

Interrupt impulsive action

Stop. Take a step back. Observe. Proceed mindfully.

When to use

Use when emotion is high and immediate action could make the situation worse.

TIP

Shift acute physiological arousal

Use body-based strategies such as temperature change, brief intense movement when medically appropriate, and paced breathing/relaxation.

Safety

Skip cold exposure or intense exercise if a medical condition makes it unsafe; use paced breathing instead and consult your clinician as needed.

ACCEPTS

Distract on purpose

Temporarily redirect attention with Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Pushing away, Thoughts, or Sensations.

Self-Soothe

Use your senses

Choose a calming sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or body-based experience.

IMPROVE

Improve this moment

Try Imagery, Meaning, Prayer or personal reflection, Relaxation, One thing at a time, a brief Vacation, or Encouragement.

Radical Acceptance

Stop fighting reality

Acceptance means acknowledging what is already true. It does not mean approval, agreement, or giving up on future change.

Name it

Understand the emotion

Identify the prompting event, interpretations, body changes, action urges, actions, and aftereffects.

Check the Facts

Test the interpretation

Separate observable facts from assumptions. Ask whether the emotion’s intensity and action urge fit the actual situation.

Opposite Action

Act opposite when the urge does not fit

When an emotion or its intensity does not fit the facts—or the urge would be ineffective—choose behavior opposite to the urge and do it fully.

Problem Solving

Change what can be changed

When the emotion fits the facts and the situation is changeable, define the problem, generate options, choose one, act, and review.

ABC

Build resilience over time

Accumulate positive experiences, Build mastery, and Cope ahead for predictable stressors.

PLEASE

Reduce physical vulnerability

Support emotional stability by attending to physical illness, balanced eating, substances that affect mood, sleep, and movement—adapted to your medical needs.

DEAR MAN

Ask or say no clearly

Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce; stay Mindful, Appear confident, and Negotiate.

GIVE

Protect the relationship

Be Gentle, act Interested, Validate, and use an Easy manner when appropriate.

FAST

Protect self-respect

Be Fair, avoid unnecessary Apologies, Stick to values, and be Truthful.

Validation

Communicate understanding

Listen for what makes sense in the other person’s experience without automatically agreeing with every conclusion or behavior.

Boundaries

Clarify limits

State what you will do or not do, keep the limit specific, and follow through on what is within your control.

Chain Analysis

Map how a behavior happened

Trace vulnerabilities → prompting event → thoughts/feelings/body sensations → urges/actions → consequences. Then identify places where a skill could interrupt the chain.

Missing Links

Find what blocked follow-through

Ask whether you knew what was needed, were willing, remembered, had the skill, and had the resources to act.

Pros & Cons

Compare short- and long-term outcomes

Compare acting on an urge versus resisting it, including benefits and costs now and later.

Interactive practice tools

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Check the Facts

Your balanced check will appear here.

DEAR MAN Builder

Your draft will appear here.

Behavior Chain

Cope Ahead

One-minute mindfulness

Settle your attention on one anchor. When your mind wanders, notice it and return.

60

Pros & Cons

Skill tracker

Track what you tried—not whether you “did DBT perfectly.”

Saved on this device

Important: This is an educational skills tool, not a substitute for diagnosis, psychotherapy, crisis care, or medical treatment. Some DBT skills—especially body-based crisis strategies—may need adaptation for health conditions.
If you may hurt yourself or someone else, or cannot stay safe: use your local emergency service, go to the nearest emergency department, or in the U.S. call or text 988. If you are outside the U.S., use your local crisis service.