Building mastery is an emotion regulation skill in which a person engages in activities that are challenging but not impossible, and gradually increases their difficulty. It’s a key concept in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and it can offer a sense of confidence and pride each time a task is accomplished or a skill set is improved.
The Building Mastery DBT Skill handout offers a general overview of this skill. It begins by explaining the purpose of building mastery and the steps that it entails. At the bottom of the handout, clients will discover helpful ways to get out of their comfort zone, cope ahead, and give themselves credit.
Using this handout helps kids and teens to increase positive emotions through feeling competent and effective. To support them in implementing the skill, you can ask them to identify their top interests. For example, it could be swimming, drawing, or science activities.
Encourage them to reward themselves for their efforts, such as watching their favorite movie or eating a special healthy snack! This handout pairs well with our DBT Building Mastery Worksheet.
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Want more resources like this? Check out our full catalog of DBT worksheets and handouts.
References:
- Correa, J. K. (2020). Effects of emotion regulation skills training on worry and emotional distress tolerance: A multiple baseline single-case experimental design (Doctoral dissertation).
- Emelianchik-Key, K., Labarta, A., & Glass, B. (2022). Infusing dialectical behavior therapy skills into supervision to address challenges and enhance performance. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 17(3), 394-409.
- Mazza, J. J., Dexter-Mazza, E. T., Miller, A. L., Rathus, J. H., & Murphy, H. E. (2016). DBT? skills in schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents Dbt Steps-a. Guilford Publications.
