The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook

Authors: Matthew McKay, Ph.D, Jeffrey C. Wook, Psy.D. & Jeffrey Brantley, MD

Official Description:

A Clear and Effective Approach to Learning DBT Skills

First developed for treating borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has proven effective as treatment for a range of other mental health problems, especially for those characterized by overwhelming emotions. Research shows that DBT can improve your ability to handle distress without losing control and acting destructively. In order to make use of these techniques, you need to build skills in four key areas-distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook, a collaborative effort from three esteemed authors, offers straightforward, step-by-step exercises for learning these concepts and putting them to work for real and lasting change. Start by working on the introductory exercises and, after making progress, move on to the advanced-skills chapters. Whether you are a professional or a general reader, whether you use this book to support work done in therapy or as the basis for self-help, you’ll benefit from this clear and practical guide to better managing your emotions.

Why I recommend it: This workbook can be helpful to people who are looking to add to their toolbox of coping tools. It can help with learning and practicing practical coping tools to manage overwhelming emotions. It can operate as a helpful introduction to the concepts of mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. I also recommend this book due to its accessibility. You can access this book with a free online PDF version.

My favorite quote from the book: “It’s almost as if the harder you try to forget something, the harder your brain tries to remember it. This is why forcing yourself to forget about something that happened to you is impossible. It’s also why you can’t simply force yourself to get rid of emotions that you don’t want.”