10 Printable DBT Mindfulness Worksheets and Handouts

DBT techniques can be challenging, especially when your child is distracted or disinterested. Fortunately, our printable DBT mindfulness worksheets and handouts can curb this problem and make DBT more exciting and palatable!

Discover our DBT mindfulness worksheets and how to apply these tactics and coping mechanisms to daily life and responsibilities.

What is Mindfulness in DBT?

Mindfulness in DBT is the foundation upon which many other skills are built. It emphasizes being present in the moment, without judgment, and with an awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.

Mindfulness is a core skill that leads to emotional regulation as individuals learn to identify triggers and utilize various DBT techniques to manage them more efficiently.

How DBT Mindfulness Worksheets Can Help

Mindfulness worksheets provide opportunities to practice the core values outside of therapy. Individuals can use them at home, alone, or with others. Other ways in which worksheets can enhance DBT for kids include the following:

• Increased focus. Mindfulness worksheets can provide structured guidance to increase focus when practicing your skills. They can improve your ability to stay present in the moment.
• Accurate progress tracking. Some worksheets incorporate tracking tools that allow you to monitor your progress over time. By recording your thoughts, feelings, and experiences during mindfulness practices, you can identify areas for improvement and celebrate your achievements.
• Enhanced self-reflection. After mindfulness exercises, worksheets often include prompts for reflection. This allows you to explore the meaning behind your observations and how they might relate to your emotions or behaviors.
• Improved academic performance. Mindfulness sharpens cognitive skills, enhancing focus and concentration [*]. Students can absorb information more effectively by quieting mental chatter and increasing present-moment awareness.

10 Printable DBT Mindfulness Worksheets and Handouts

Using DBT mindfulness worksheets and handouts is excellent for supplementing your DBT treatment plan. Here are ten of our printable DBT mindfulness worksheets for you to try.

1. DBT Mindfulness Skills (PDF)

There are many DBT mindfulness skills you can master, including “what” and “how” skills. Which skills you hone will ultimately depend on what techniques best suit your emotion regulation style and what makes you feel most productive.

Our handout outlines tactics for achieving optimal health, including performing a body scan, paying attention to the five senses, mindful eating, and square breathing.

2. Wise Mind Worksheets

The "wise mind" in DBT is a balanced state where emotions and logic work together. Imagine it as an overlap in a Venn diagram. Mindfulness helps you access this wise mind by allowing you to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment.

You can use our wise mind worksheets to reflect on what you think and feel when you’re emotional or rational and work toward finding a healthy balance.

3. Urge Surfing Worksheets

Urge surfing is like riding a wave. You observe cravings or urges as they arise, acknowledging them without judgment. Imagine watching a wave approach without getting caught in the current. Mindfulness helps you stay present and avoid impulsively acting on the urge. As you "surf" the urge, it eventually peaks and subsides, leaving you feeling calmer and in control.

Our urge surfing worksheets ask clients to reflect on what triggers their urges, what they think as they arise, and what helpful reminders keep them at bay.

4. What Is Mindfulness DBT Handout

Knowing what mindfulness is and how it functions is vital to practicing it. Our handout answers the critical question, “What is mindfulness?” and explains the two types you can learn.

5. R.A.I.N Worksheet

RAIN represents a mindfulness practice for navigating difficult emotions with compassion and clarity. Our RAIN DBT skill worksheet takes clients through each step of the process, asking them to:

• Recognize what is happening and what they feel in the moment
• Allow the emotion to exist without judgment or suppression
• Investigate the emotion and its potential source
• Nurture the emotion and the self, practicing self-compassion

6. Brief Mindfulness Exercises Handout

While finding the time to attend a therapy session or sit down and reflect may be challenging, practicing brief mindfulness exercises can positively impact your day. Our handout provides several opportunities to slow down, relax, and recuperate through belly breathing, a body scan, mindful eating, and walking.

7. Wise Mind Handout

A "wise mind" in DBT is crucial because it bridges the gap between emotions and logic. Without it, you might succumb to intense feelings or overly critical thoughts. A wise mind, accessed through mindfulness, allows for balanced decision-making.

Our handout explains the concept of a wise mind by comparing it to a rational and emotional mind, striking a balance between the two.

8. Mindfulness “What” Skills Worksheets

Mindfulness “what” skills are the foundation for present-moment awareness. They focus on observing your internal and external world without judgment. Studies show that practicing “what” skills can significantly reduce stress in school-aged adolescents [*].

Our “what” skills worksheets ask clients to reflect on situations and recount the following:

• Their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations
• A simple description of the experience without further analysis
• Whether they were able to engage in the moment without getting lost in their thoughts

The worksheets also encourage clients to brainstorm ways to apply these skills to future occurrences.

9. Mindfulness “How” Skills Worksheets

DBT mindfulness "how" skills are about cultivating the right mindset for practicing the "what" skills. Think of them as the gears that allow the mindfulness machine to function smoothly. Like our mindfulness “what” skills worksheets, our mindfulness “how” worksheets ask clients to reflect on moments in which they practiced being non-judgmental.

Our collection includes a one-mindful worksheet that asks clients to focus on one thing at a time and walks them through the process of achieving present-moment awareness.

10. Urge Surfing Technique Handout

How you ride the wave may differ from how someone else rides their wave. So why not explore all the urge surfing techniques to discover what works best?

Our urge surfing technique handout provides quick tips and comprehensively outlines urge surfing, equipping clients with the necessary information to try it themselves.

The Bottom Line

DBT mindfulness worksheets can be a valuable companion on your journey toward greater emotional awareness and well-being. These tools can guide you through mindfulness exercises, enhance focus during practice, and track your progress over time.

Discover more DBT worksheets to try with your child or family. We aim to equip clients with accessible, easy-to-use handouts that they can use anywhere, anytime.

Sources:

1. Leland M. “Mindfulness and Student Success.” Journal of Adult Education, 2015.
2. II John Lothes, Mochrie K, Wilson M, Hakan R. “The effect of DBT-informed mindfulness skills (what and how skills) and mindfulness-based stress reduction practices on test anxiety in college students: A mixed design study.” Current psychology, 2019.