Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet
Give an Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet to your clients to help them recognize and manage their emotions effectively.
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What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
A type of evidence-based psychotherapy developed by psychologist Marshall M. Linehan in the 1980s, dialectical behavior therapy or , was used to treat clients with bipolar disorder in the past and is currently used to treat clients with other mental health conditions. Substance abuse, eating disorders, anxiety, and depression are a few of these mental health conditions.
What makes dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, different from CBT and other types of therapy is its roots in cognitive-behavioral therapy and its combination with Eastern philosophical concepts and mindfulness practices.
Aside from helping the client accept their desires and emotions and work on making better and positive changes in their life, DBT also aims to help their client develop four significant skills. They are:
Mindfulness
The client is more aware and can better accept present feelings and thoughts.
Distress Tolerance
The client doesn’t use self-destructive coping techniques to overcome challenging times.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
The client has identified and is firm with their feeling and what they want to improve in their relationship with others and themselves.
Emotional Regulation
The client can deal with primary or first reactions before they turn into secondary emotions.
DBT may be conducted in individual sessions, group therapy sessions, and telephone crisis/phone coaching. The chosen approach depends on the referring physician, a therapist with a DBT certification, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a psychiatric nurse.
Printable Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet
Download this Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet to improve emotional literacy and regulation.
How to use the Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet:
Access and Download the Template
To access and download a digital and printable version of the Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet, you can do either of the following:
- Click the “Download Template” or “Use Template” button
- Search “Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet” in Carepatron’s template library search bar on the website or app.
Explain the Template
Before giving your client a copy, it’s best that you show them a blank template and explain how to fill it out. Here are some tips you may provide them with when completing the worksheet:
- Answer the worksheet in a manner you’re comfortable with, whether phrases, sentences, or paragraphs.
- Focus on one box before jumping to the next. You can go back and add more if the content of a particular box is inadequate.
- If you can’t fill out the worksheet while experiencing the emotion, you may wait until after you’ve accepted and processed the feeling to fill out the worksheet. It is recommended, however, to answer it as soon as possible so you won’t forget the physical sensations.
If it’s easier for you, you may use the sample template we’ve provided in this guide to help you out.
Fill the Template
As soon as the client understands the instructions, you may provide them with a copy of the worksheet and have them answer all the worksheet sections, including the reflection part.
Suppose they answered the part that helps them reduce their physical sensations even if they haven’t filled out all the rows in the table in the first part of the worksheet. In that case, you may encourage them to participate in said activities the next time they feel physical discomfort due to negative feelings.
Discuss with the Client
When the client finishes the worksheet, you may discuss the answers with them if they consent. It’d be helpful to brainstorm more physical activities and movements that help them reduce their physical discomfort if they’ve found none of the ones on the worksheet are effective.
Store Securely
Since the worksheet carries sensitive information, you must ask your client to store the physical copy securely or the digital copy on Carepatron. If you keep the completed template on Carepatron, you’re assured that only they and you, the referring physician, can access the worksheet when needed.
Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet Example
Here’s a sample of a filled-out Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet downloadable as a PDF file. Feel free to use this as an educational resource or guide that’ll help you explain how to answer the worksheet to your client better. Note that the answers provided in the example are fictional content.
Obtain an offline sample copy by viewing it below or clicking the “Download Example PDF” button.
Download this Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet Example:
When would you use this Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet?
The following practitioners may use the Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet template:
- Psychiatrists
- Psychiatric nurses
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- Family Therapists
- Any therapist who has a DBT certification
They may use it when clients are self-aware of their emotions and can identify the physical sensations that may come with them. Furthermore, they may use it when their clients can also manage the feelings that cause the physical signs of their emotions through physical movements and activities.
Even if we leave it to your discretion as the referring physician to decide whether or not to give the worksheet to your client, if you require more specific ideas, you may provide the worksheet to clients who frequently experience overwhelming negative emotions or are prone to anxiety.
In addition, you can use this worksheet to determine whether your patient's physical symptoms result from a negative emotion that you can treat with a treatment plan or an illness that requires further examination and testing by a practitioner of a different specialty.
What are the benefits of using this Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet?
Improve Self-Awareness
One of the skills that the worksheet will train the client in being mindful and self-aware—more specifically, self-awareness of the accompanying physical sensations of overwhelming emotion or distressing mood. And since the client will have to write about their experience multiple times, they are effectively improving their self-awareness.
More Insight into the Patient’s Condition
Suppose your client is more self-aware of their physical sensations as a reaction to a negative emotion. In that case, they are now more capable of differentiating any possible symptoms of an illness or condition. This helps you gain more insight into their condition and refer them to the appropriate healthcare practitioner whenever they feel physically ill because of a bacteria, virus, etc.
Empowering
A part of the worksheet involves asking the patient to write down any physical movement or activity that they can do to manage their emotions and reduce any uncomfortable sensations they’re feeling. By having this on hand and easily accessible, they may feel empowered to handle their feelings in a way that doesn’t harm them physically, emotionally, or mentally.
Entirely Digital and Easily Accessible
Our free, printable Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet can be completed digitally. The advantage of using a digital file rather than printing it is that you can easily access and complete the worksheet on any device with a PDF editor.
Commonly asked questions
Usually, it takes 15 to 30 minutes for a client to complete the Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet.
It can help the person identify the physical sensations that come with negative emotions and work their way towards managing them through physical movement and activities.
Any DBT-certified healthcare practitioner can incorporate the Identifying Physical Signs of Emotions DBT Worksheet into their practice. It’ll be beneficial, however, if they provide it to patients who get easily overwhelmed by distressing emotions and often express concerns about physical symptoms that may or may not result from said feelings.
