Written materials are incredibly helpful in implementing change in everyday life (Arntz & Jacob, 2013). During the analysis stage of the treatment, it is important to understand the maladaptive modes experienced by the client. Schema flashcards are valuable in “summarizing patients’ everyday experiences in terms of schema modes and their cognitive and emotional implications” (Arntz & Jacob, 2013). Dear Man: Learning and using the Dear Man skills can help us grow our ability to communicate and function in healthy relationships. Dear Man is an acronym that stands for:

Though not original to Linehan’s DBT, some sources add Paced Breathing : regulating our breath to help signal our brains that all is well. Diagnostic imagery helps the client understand the origins of existing emotional problems and dysfunctional behavior patterns and thinking (Young et al., 2007). Sometimes the secondary emotion can be the same as the first. A person can get angry for being angry, or depressed for being depressed. In these two cases, anger and depression are both the primary and the secondary emotions. Change skills are tools that can be learned. These skills could be strategies for handling conflict and specific behaviors to use as an alternative to self-harm or other problematic responses to emotional pain. Vitals: the Vitals DBT skills can help us in achieving personal goals, in our personal and professional lives. Vitals stands for:The treatment must find ways to heal these maladaptive schemas and remove power from the associated memories, maladaptive cognitions, and bodily sensations. In an episode of the Let’s Talk About CBT podcast, the show’s hosts speak to Dr. Lucy Maddox for an engaging interview about Schema Therapy. I believe that some resources used in Mental Health treatment are unnecessarily cold, clinical, or technical. These hard-to-relate-to resources may risk pushing people away instead of inviting them to engage in both a healing relationship with their therapist and with information that could help their recovery. My work seeks to offer resources like worksheets, visuals, and handouts that bridge this gap. The Good Mood Clinic podcast provides a series of fascinating and insightful episodes based on Schema Therapy and its application. These Dialectical Behavior Therapy Flash Cards are perfect for learning your DBT skills and referencing them. These self-help cards include all the DBT modules - Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotional Regulation and Distress Tolerance. There are also bonus cards that cover thought defusion, meditations and more coping skills.

Awareness, Acceptance, Action: This is an acronym that describes the process of mindful change – becoming aware of your situation/thoughts/feelings (without judgment), accepting the nature of the situation/your thoughts/feelings, and finding a way to create change (take action) where it is needed. While similar to the schema flashcard, the schema diary is a little more advanced and useful later in treatment when the client is more comfortable with the terms. The Schema Diary worksheet captures: Altering drugs – Avoid mood-altering substances and only take prescribed drugs in the prescribed amounts. Pro’s & Con’s: This refers to pausing and thinking through the positive and negative factors in tolerating/not tolerating distress. Behavioral therapy techniques are used to break behavioral patterns and transform outcomes (Arntz & Jacob, 2013).The young man is then asked to form an image of himself breaking through his avoidance and staying in the situation. Emotion-focused interventions are particularly effective at helping clients express their rage and sadness and focus on their needs and goals (Arntz & Jacob, 2013). Cope ahead – have a plan in place for how you’ll cope successfully when faced with a challenge (refer to my Crisis Plan printable for putting a plan in place). Mindfulness How Skills: The mindfulness “how” skills describe how one should be mindful: non-judgmentally, one-mindfully, and effectively.

Schema Therapy Training Australia hosts a series of podcast episodes to discuss Schema Therapy with accredited therapists and Jeffrey Young (the creator of ST) himself. Coping Ahead is preparing a skillful action plan to use when you get emotional. Make a list of skills to use and put it on your fridge. Create a coping box full of distraction techniques or a notebook of instructions and inspiration. Do whatever works for you, whatever will help you skillfully survive the emotional moment. Treat Physical IllnessesExercise – Move your body. If a full workout feels overwhelming, try just going outdoors for a bit ( research indicates it can help). If the client’s views differ, use this opportunity to discuss and clarify their perception of their emotional needs, schemas, and modes. Ongoing dialogue can help improve the client’s understanding of ST and awareness of their emotions and needs, and foster an improved bond between client and therapist. 2. Letters to significant others TIPP: The TIPP acronym is a distress tolerance skill meant to be used when emotions are overwhelming. The aspects of the DBT TIPP skill can help alleviate acute distress, like a surge of anxiety or uncontrollable tears. TIPP stands for: GIVE: Give is a DBT skill acronym that can help us to maintain healthy relationships. Give stands for: There are a lot of myths about emotions floating around out there. It’s important to challenge those myths before they interfere with your emotion regulation.

Sometimes this is not the best thing to do. If you are afraid because you are in an unsafe situation, pay attention to that fear. Do not go into that unsafe situation. Completing such a workbook and working through the answers in an ST therapy session can increase the client’s psychological awareness of their triggers, schemas, and alternative responses. 3. Behavioral pattern breaking Early on in ST, the client must develop an understanding of their mode model and its implications for treatment (Arntz & Jacob, 2013). Physica L illness – Get good physical care, take prescribed medication, and seek treatment for untreated issues. Try to do at least one thing that builds mastery every day. The more you do, the better you’ll feel as you build the confidence in your capabilities. This puts money in the bank for the next time you’re in distress, meaning that you’ll both prevent future distress and help you recover faster from it. Cope AheadDuring imagery, schemas and modes are activated through deeply engaging with existing emotions and the biographical memories upon which they are based. Trauma is rescripted and reimagined, meeting the needs of the badly treated child. 5. Behavioral intervention techniques Use the list of concepts found in the Schemas, Needs, and Modes Reference Sheet to engage in conversation and explain the ST model to the client. The form helps them work through the situation and arrive at a healthy solution outside or inside therapy (Young et al., 2007). FAST: This is a set of skills that can help us to have stronger, more satisfying relationships- and also feel better about ourselves- who doesn’t want that!? FAST stands for: Once the client is comfortable with the concepts behind the therapy, the Schema Triggering and Mode Analysis Logbook can be used to capture and analyze schema triggers and identify the existing active schemas (schema modes).