Have you ever found yourself amid emotional turbulence and with no way to control those emotions? Or maybe getting along with friends or fostering healthy interpersonal relationships is challenging for you? Well, you are not alone. Developing years are not always fun and can sometimes bring lots of challenges that are not easy to handle. Dealing with such challenges requires effective strategies that can not only help you overcome the obstacles successfully but also help you grow and flourish.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is one of the many ways to achieve this. It is an evidence-based technique that taps into various aspects of life and helps improve them while keeping personal needs as a top priority.
Along the same lines, we have curated some wonderful DBT skills worksheets for teenagers or students that are easy to use and are filled with numerous benefits. Before moving to the DBT worksheets, let’s understand what Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is.
What is dialectical behavioral therapy?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy or DBT is a highly influential form of CBT that is useful to help individuals regulate their emotions and effectively manage stressful situations. Whether it is a stressful situation or a persistent unhealthy relationship, DBT provides efficient solutions for healthy and stress-regulated living.
Let’s get the crux of dialectical behavior therapy clear using an example.
Suppose, Maria, a 16-year-old girl is stressed out due to her examinations. She is well prepared but is constantly worried that she will fail. Her fear is making her feel all types of emotions which are getting difficult for her to handle. Due to the stress, she has also lost friends and spends most of her time lost in her thoughts of what if she fails.
Here in this example, Maria is having clear distress, difficulty regulating emotions, ineffective interpersonal relationships, and lack of mindfulness. The core areas that DBT is expert in handling and improving.
So, if you are someone who struggles with these issues, we have curated some wonderful DBT worksheets that will enhance your self-understanding and help you gain control over your life.
Dialectical behavior therapy worksheets for teens.
Worksheets are a wonderful resource to improve oneself and learn new skills. Working on them provides a sense of fulfillment and makes things much more clear and precise. DBT worksheets are no exception to that.
These attractive and easy-to-use worksheets can be used independently by kids or teens or they can have parent or teacher guidance while working on them. These worksheets are designed in a way that they will enhance your self-management skills and self-regulation skills.
Worksheet 1: Distress Tolerance
Objective: Through this worksheet, you will be able to identify and manage stressful situations effectively.
The worksheet consists of certain questions that will improve the individual’s understanding of events or situations that they find most stressful and least stressful. This understanding will help individuals formulate effective strategies to deal with that situation and identify key behaviors necessary for handling those situations.
Worksheet 2: Emotion and Behavior Regulation
Objective: Through this worksheet, you will be able to identify your emotions and related behaviors in a specific situation.
This worksheet is a great resource to reflect on how you felt in various stressful situations and how your emotions led to certain actions. Reflecting on past actions will help in understanding if your actions were right or if you could have behaved differently and handled the situation in a much better way.
The worksheet consists of certain questions that will help you identify so.
Worksheet 3: Reality Acceptance Worksheet
Objective: Through this worksheet, you will be able to help teens accept their reality.
Sometimes, denying your reality makes the current situation better. However, it can create a lot of problems in the future. This worksheet is a great tool to identify and reflect on your denied emotions and manage them effectively. The worksheet has some questions that will help you achieve an in-depth knowledge of your emotions and understanding related to denied realities.
Worksheet 4: Effective Communication
Objective: Through this worksheet, you will be able to carry out effective communication and express yourself clearly.
Communication is a necessary skill and the ability to express oneself is highly appreciated in real life. This worksheet consists of several questions that will help you get a strong command over your communication skills and will help you express yourself.
The aim here is to instill healthy communication skills in individuals and help them understand their emotions while engaging in challenging conversations. It will lead to better expression of thoughts and emotions.
Worksheet 5: Live in the Moment
Objective: Through this worksheet, you will be able to foster the habit of living in the moment using the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.
Along with other mindfulness activities, you can add this worksheet to your routine which will help you focus on the present moment and be mindful of your thoughts and actions. It’s a simple worksheet, where you have to mention 5 things you can see around yourself, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
It will activate all your senses and will help the individual appreciate their current moments.
How to make the best use of these worksheets?
DBT Worksheets have multiple benefits and can be used in multiple ways. However, it is necessary to ensure that these worksheets are utilized to their full potential and provide the best possible benefits. Techniques to make the best use of the DBT Worksheets are-
1. Understand the purpose
DBT worksheets will provide amazing results when you know what you are trying to achieve with these worksheets. Everyone has unique needs and problems, so expectations from these worksheets will also be unique. Understand your purpose for engaging with these worksheets, customize them for your needs, and enjoy the plethora of benefits that come with the DBT worksheets.
2. Reflect
Self-reflection is the key to better self-understanding and improved self-awareness. Ensure to take some time out to reflect on your responses and give them deep thoughts. It will help you to see the situations and your responses from a new perspective and gain insights into your behaviors and emotions.
3. Apply in real-life
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy focuses on practical aspects of life and is dedicated to improving them. The same goes for DBT Worksheets. To make the best use of these worksheets, ensure to utilize them in your daily life and apply the skills and knowledge gained from these worksheets in your practical life.
4. Consistency
As the popular saying goes, ‘consistency is the key to success’ is so rightly said. Include these worksheets in your daily life and be consistent with them. It can work like a customized journal for you and will help you become a better version of yourself. Regular practice will internalize the skills and it will soon become natural to you. Additionally, you can incorporate these worksheets into your daily life routine and enjoy its benefits.
5. Patience
Patience is another important skill required to make the best use of these worksheets. Once you are consistent with these worksheets, you will gradually notice the changes in your thoughts and actions that are helping you become more relaxed and peaceful in your life. Ensure to have patience and trust in the process.
Let’s wrap up
DBT Worksheets are the accumulation of various positive and life-changing skills that foster personal growth. If you are someone ready to take the string of your life into your own hands and ensure your overall well-being, then DBT worksheets are the right tool for you. You can combine DBT worksheets for teenagers with CBT worksheets for maximum gain or can use them individually. Ensure to incorporate them into your daily life routine and be consistent with them.
I am Sehjal Goel, a psychology student, and a writer. I am currently pursuing my Masters’s from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Child psychology has always fascinated me and I have a deep interest in learning about disabilities in children and spreading awareness regarding the same. My other areas of interest are neuropsychology and cognitive psychology. Connect me on Linkedin