Coping Skills Checklist

Discover the benefits of implementing a Coping Skills Checklist within your therapy sessions to identify coping skills and benefit your clients’ well-being.

By Chloe Smith on May 09, 2024.

Fact Checked by RJ Gumban.

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What is a Coping Skills Checklist?

A Coping Skills Checklist is a valuable resource for therapists to introduce into their therapy sessions with clients. Within the checklist, individuals are encouraged to identify their current coping skills that they may use when faced with a difficult or stressful situation. 

Coping skills are behaviors that we all use when we experience something stressful. For example, some people facing a public speaking event may use breathing techniques before commencing the event. However, others may use avoidant behaviors to cope with public speaking. Coping skills are something we curate over time that helps us deal with certain situations more easily. 

The Coping Skills Checklist can support individuals in the identification process of what coping skills they currently possess. A therapist and their client can utilize this checklist to identify possible negative coping skills and plan future coping skills they may use when faced with a situation requiring these tools. 

The identified coping skills can then be moved to situations where it might be most appropriate to utilize them. Individuals who use the Coping Skills Checklist can use the resource to identify what skills they think would be the most beneficial and effective for them.

Printable Coping Skills Checklist PDF

Access our free Coping Skills Checklist PDF here for improved mental health

How does it work?

The Printable Coping Skills Checklist is a relatively easy resource to implement into your therapy sessions. Nevertheless, we have curated an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide on utilizing the checklist with your clients. 

Step One: Obtain the checklist

Doing this is simple! Simply navigate the Templates section within the Carepatron website to obtain this checklist. You can then download the list for digital completion or download it for a printable version.  

Step Two: Talk with your client

It is crucial to complete the checklist with your client. You’ll want to understand their coping skills during stressful and everyday situations. This can help you to identify them even if the individual might not see the coping skill. 

Step Three: Complete the checklist

It is recommended that you do this collaboratively with your client. As always, the client knows themselves the best. You can support them in completing the checklist by posing situations and asking how they might typically respond. You may also gather this information through previous sessions with your client. 

Step Four: Store the checklist

You can do this quickly and securely through the Carepatron system. We’ll take care of the uploaded document through our secure database. This checklist and other documents you upload to the Carepatron platform will be ready for easy access whenever needed.

Coping Skills Checklist example (sample)

Here at Carepatron, we’re dedicated to making the lives of healthcare professionals that much easier. We have created a completed example of the Coping Skills Checklist PDF for your reference. This can be helpful when clients might not know where to start when identifying their coping skills. 

By following this sample of the Coping Skills Checklist, you can rest assured knowing that you and your client are completing the checklist thoroughly and correctly to get the most benefit within your therapy sessions.

Download our Coping Skills Checklist example PDF

Coping Skills Checklist example

When would you use this template?

You might utilize this Coping Skills Checklist Template in various scenarios to benefit your clients. 

Stress management

A Coping Skills Checklist can be highly beneficial for individuals living with stress or those who might encounter stressful situations. When it comes to a problem that might be triggering, individuals can utilize the checklist and choose coping skills that can be helpful. 

During life transitions

A Coping Skills Checklist can be helpful for individuals who are going through significant life transitions. These transitions include marriage, divorce, child-rearing, retirement, and occupation loss/change. This checklist can support individuals through these transitions as they are likely to be stressful and may also impact the person’s mental health. During these events, individuals can utilize this checklist when feeling stressed. 

Educational sessions

This checklist can also be helpful for individuals who are going through educational sessions for mental health and well-being. It may be beneficial to have an academic session with clients to gain a more comprehensive understanding of what they may be experiencing and how they can improve their lifestyle with coping skills. 

Psychopathology

Coping Skills Checklists can be beneficial for individuals who are experiencing psychopathology. Individuals who are experiencing mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulties may be predisposed to having unhealthy coping skills that advance psychopathology in a circular motion.

For example, individuals who are living with anxiety might use avoidant behaviors as a coping skill to stop the feeling of anxiety happening. This can push the individual to use avoidant coping skills so often that the coping skills fuel the anxiety.

What do the results mean?

There are no specific results that we need to look for when the Free Coping Skills Checklist is complete. Instead, the checklist results can be seen as more effective ways of coping for an individual. 

Awareness 

The most beneficial result of completing the Coping Skills Checklist is individuals' awareness once they can implement these skills. Individuals who are living with coping skills that are either maladaptive or unhelpful might be unaware that their current coping skills are doing more damage than they realize.

Once the template has been completed, individuals can be aware of their current coping skills and how they can implement helpful ones to enhance their experience of future situations. 

Preferences

The Coping Skills Checklist can support individuals by identifying coping skills and preferred coping abilities held by the individual. It is important to remember that what might benefit one client might not help the next. 

This is why the Coping Skills Checklist can help individuals identify what might work and what works best for them. They can then use their preferred coping skills when they need to. 

Integration into a daily routine

Once the template has been completed, the overall goal of the Coping Skills Checklist is to be integrated into an individual's daily routine. Integration of these identified skills can allow the client to explore more helpful skills and adapt their current skills to help them through situations. Ultimately, individuals should feel more confident coping when these skills are used.

Why use Carepatron as your Coping Skills Checklist app?

There are various benefits to using Carepatron as your one-stop shop for all healthcare needs. At Carepatron, we are dedicated to creating a platform that saves you time, resources, and energy on those pesky administrative tasks. 

As your Coping Skills Checklist Template App, you can learn more about the benefits of implementing these checklists into your everyday therapy sessions. You can also look forward to discovering the thousands of templates already created for you as a therapist. 

Carepatron can not only be your Coping Skills Checklist Template Software, but we can also serve as your healthcare platform that eliminates those administrative tasks that take up most of your time with clients. Think of us as your coping skills! 

With Carepatron, you can look for an aesthetic way to build upon your career. We can ease your mind by taking care of billing and scheduling appointments. Our exclusive medical billing system allows you to remain at ease regarding payments. Don’t worry about remembering to schedule your appointments with regular clients when using Carepatron.

We’ve already covered that with our patient scheduling and appointment reminder software. Just know that your clients will be there without you having to pick up the phone to remind them.

Signing up is free!

Mental health software benefit

References

Bazrafshan, M.-R., Jahangir, F., Mansouri, A., & Kashfi, S. H. (2014). Coping Strategies in People Attempting Suicide. International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.5812/ijhrba.16265

Carruthers, C. P., & Colleen Deyell Hood. (2002). Coping skills program for individuals with alcoholism. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 36(2), 154–171.

How do you create a Coping Skills Checklist?
How do you create a Coping Skills Checklist?

Commonly asked questions

How do you create a Coping Skills Checklist?

You can collaborate with your client to identify their current and possible new coping skills.

When are Coping Skills Checklists used?

These checklists can be used in a variety of different scenarios. Whether your client is focused on an educational scope of their current coping skills or if your client needs to identify negative coping skills, this checklist can be used in a variety of different settings.

How are the Coping Skills Checklists used?

They are typically used collaboratively between the therapist and the client. However, these checklists can be done as a homework assignment during therapy.

Who creates a Coping Skills Checklist?

Anyone! You can complete the Coping Skills Checklist we created here at Carepatron. Like we said, we’re here to make your life much easier!

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