DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets

by Marsha M. Linehan PhD, ABPP

Overview

The revised edition of this indispensable resource presents the tools clients need to learn and practice any Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skill or set of skills. Clients get quick access to the materials recommended for a particular skills training program, with more than 225 reproducible handouts and worksheets in all. In the revised edition, handouts and worksheets for each skill are grouped together, making the book even easier to use. All four DBT skills modules are included—mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance—each with a brief introduction written expressly for clients. In a convenient, spiral-bound 8 1/2" x 11" format, the book is updated throughout with more inclusive language and changes in technology and daily life. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462556342
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	08/15/2025
Edition description:	Revised Edition, (Spiral-Bound Paperback)
Pages:	380
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, ABPP, the developer of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Director Emeritus of the Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics at the University of Washington. Before retiring in 2019, she devoted her career to developing and evaluating evidence-based treatments for populations with high suicide risk and multiple, severe mental disorders. Dr. Linehan is the 2025 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Her contributions to suicide research and clinical psychology research have also been recognized with the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology, the Career/Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Application of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation, and the James McKeen Cattell Award from the Association for Psychological Science. In her honor, the American Association of Suicidology created the Marsha Linehan Award for Outstanding Research in the Treatment of Suicidal Behavior. Dr. Linehan was featured in Time magazine's "Great Scientists: The Geniuses and Visionaries Who Transformed Our World." She is founder of the Linehan Institute and a Zen master.

Table of Contents

- Preface
- Preface to the Second Edition
- Introduction to This Book
- General Skills: Orientation and Analyzing Behavior
- Mindfulness Skills
- Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
- Emotion Regulation Skills
- Distress Tolerance Skills
- Index

Interviews

Clients in therapy for any emotional or psychological difficulty that involves emotional dysregulation, and those who treat them.

Editorial Reviews

"The updated skills reflect changes in how we live now, including the use of technology and language. Together, the revised editions of DBT Skills Training Manual and DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets are finely honed to teach clients the DBT skills they need."—Cedar R. Koons, MSW, LCSW, author of The Mindfulness Solution for Intense Emotions

"You don’t have to be a DBT practitioner to benefit from this book. Cognitive behavior therapists, for example, using individualized treatment plans based on their cognitive conceptualization of the client, should integrate DBT skills when applicable (along with skills from any evidence-based treatment). If you are a practicing mental health professional or student of any psychotherapeutic modality, you should read this book. It will make you a more effective clinician."—Judith S. Beck, PhD, President, Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy

"The revised edition retains the essence of Linehan's classic skills training manual, with selective updates assisted by a team of leading DBT clinicians. It modernizes Linehan's approach to be most relatable to new therapists currently entering the field. This is an essential guide for instructors and DBT trainees and an encyclopedic toolkit for practicing clinicians. It incorporates all the collective lessons learned throughout Linehan's rich career into the comprehensive system of DBT skills training."—Lois W. Choi-Kain, MD, MEd, Director, Gunderson Personality Disorders Institute, McLean Hospital; Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"The DBT skills that transformed mental health care are now easier to access than ever. With updated terminology and a streamlined organization, the revised manual and client resource make it simpler to deliver powerful, evidence-based support to those seeking relief from suffering. Clinicians and clients alike will appreciate these timely volumes.”—Katherine L. Dixon-Gordon, PhD, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst

From the Publisher

Marsha Linehan is a pioneering and well-respected researcher and clinician. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has become a therapy of choice for BPD since the publication of her first manual in 1993. DBT has been recommended in guidelines of the English National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)….Ideal for therapists, trainers, and students, the manual can now show the extent to which theory is underpinned by research on outcomes, quoting studies conducted since the publication of the first edition. The research base now includes core skills training for a variety of disorders and not only for those with a diagnosis of BPD and suicide risk. This makes the manual relevant to therapists treating varied clinical and non-clinical populations. The skills for helping clients with emotion regulation and distress tolerance should be in the repertoire of every mental health practitioner and addictions worker. There is a wealth of material in these manuals, now that over 20 years the skills have been tried, tested and refined by Linehan and her colleagues and made accessible to all. Trainers will find that the teaching points in the training manual are clear, with more practical examples citedan excellent foundation for students. The rationale for emphasizing particular behavioral skills is given as well as an explanation of how to use the material with clients….The training skills manual, along with the handout and worksheet volume are valuable resources for practicing clinicians in the field of mental health and addictions, whether or not DBT is their main orientation.”

Alcohol and Alcoholism

Reviewer: Christopher J Graver, PhD, ABPP-CN(Madigan Healthcare System)
Description: Dialectical behavior training is a well-known approach to treating borderline personality disorder. However, when this book emerged in 1993, there was little research on DBT and not much refinement in its dissemination. This workbook is a companion to the manual that updates the last two decades of research and clinical training in the method.
Purpose: The purpose is to update this companion to the manual, which includes handouts and worksheets.
Audience: The audience is clients in DBT. The author is the creator and prime researcher of this treatment.
Features: This workbook can be paired with the therapist manual, which must be purchased separately, although neither is cost prohibitive. It is a complete compilation of the handouts and worksheets that could be used in DBT, but not necessarily with every client. It is spiral bound, which makes it easy to lay flat for use. It is written for clients and has appropriate language for laypersons. However, it is not intended to be used as a self-help book and makes connections to a structured DBT program. Although there are some pages of instruction in each section, it relies on broader illumination from the therapist to fully reap the benefits of the exercises. Nevertheless, there is an astonishing array of material contained in this 400-plus page book.
Assessment: The ease with which these handouts will facilitate DBT makes it an essential part of treatment and extremely valuable for the nominal cost. It is surprising to see that it is not paired with the therapist manual as an option since familiarity is probably just as important for the therapist as the client, but it is easily purchased separately.

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