Managing daily mental health challenges can feel overwhelming for many. However, there are effective options available to support you. DBT or Dialectical Behavior Therapy, alongside the use of a DBT diary card, offers a structured approach that can help you navigate and improve your mental health journey.

At Associated Clinic of Psychology, we understand how important it is for everyone to find effective ways to navigate their mental health journey. We’d like to share what a DBT diary card is and how it can benefit those looking to improve their well-being.

What is a DBT Diary Card?

A DBT diary card is a helpful tool that patients use during DBT therapy to track and monitor various aspects of their lives. Its primary purpose is to assist individuals in becoming more self-aware and mindful by recording behaviors, coping strategies, emotions, and impulses. Through consistent use, patients and their therapist can identify patterns and triggers, which helps them work towards improving their well-being and achieving their treatment goals with greater clarity and insight.

​​The Key Components of a DBT Diary Card

• Daily Emotions. Recording emotions experienced throughout the day, which can include a range of emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, etc.
• Intensity of Emotions. Rating the intensity of each emotion on a scale (e.g., 0-5 or 0-10).
• Behaviors. Noting specific behaviors, particularly those that are target behaviors in therapy (e.g., self-harm, substance use, binge eating, etc.).
• DBT Skills Used. Tracking the use of specific DBT skills from different modules:
• Mindfulness: Skills that help increase awareness of the present moment.
• Distress Tolerance: Skills for tolerating distress without making things worse.
• Emotion Regulation: Skills for managing and changing intense emotions.
• Interpersonal Effectiveness: Skills for maintaining healthy relationships and assertively communicating needs.
• Triggers. Identifying events or situations that triggered strong emotions or target behaviors.
• Urges. Recording urges to engage in target behaviors and rating their intensity.
• Notes/Reflections. A section for additional notes, reflections, or insights gained from the day’s experiences.

Source

What are DBT Diary Cards Used For?

• Goal Setting supports patients in their journey and serves as a valuable tool in helping individuals record their aspirations and achievements.
• Self-Awareness can illuminate patterns in a patient’s emotions and behaviors and offer insights into the patterns and triggers they may experience.
• Skill Application encourages the regular use of DBT skills and helps individuals see their effectiveness over time.
• Tracking Both Desired and Unwanted Behaviors offers a clearer understanding of triggers, emotional responses, and the contexts in which certain reactions occur.
• Therapeutic Insight provides valuable information for therapy sessions, allowing therapists to tailor interventions based on the individual’s experiences, journey, and current state of mind. This shared record helps therapists understand and contextualize their patient’s experiences and behavioral patterns.
• Long-Term Growth encourages patients to become more aware of their actions, reactions, and behaviors over time. By recording emotions, daily experiences, and challenges, patients can better understand and cope with their triggers and patterns. 

Who Can Benefit From a DBT Diary Card?

Many people can benefit from the use of DBT, including:

• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Using a diary card is particularly effective for individuals diagnosed with BPD. It helps track times of emotional instability, including mood swings, and impulsive behavior, such as substance abuse, self-harm, or recklessness.
• Anxiety Disorders: Individuals with anxiety disorders can use a diary card to record triggering situations or events to help identify patterns. Additionally, a diary card allows individuals to document effective coping strategies that help them effectively manage their symptoms.
• Depression: A diary card provides structure, fostering self-awareness, and facilitating coping strategies. It allows those with depression to track their mood and energy levels throughout the week, helping them identify patterns that contribute to mood fluctuations.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Those who have PTSD can use a diary card to track triggers and flashbacks related to their trauma, which can aid in recognizing situations, events, or people that contribute to symptoms. 

How to Use a DBT Diary Card

1. Daily Entry. Consistency is the key when using a diary card, and it’s ideal to aim to fill it out daily. Developing a habit of completing it at the same time and in the same place each day. This routine encourages regular reflection on your experiences and helps you stay committed to your therapeutic goals.
2. Review with Your Therapist. Bring the diary card to therapy sessions to discuss and review with your DBT therapist.
3. Reflect and Adjust. Reflect on the entries to understand patterns and work with your therapist to adjust interventions as needed.

Support Your Mental Well-Being With DBT 

At ACP, we recognize that mental health care isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. For many individuals, using a DBT diary card to track symptoms alongside a professional DBT program has helped pave the way to significantly improving and managing mental health. We offer both in-person and telehealth options to make sure you’re getting the help you need.

If you think DBT might be for you, contact our team online or fill out the form below. We’d love to learn more about your needs and explore which therapy model can support your mental well-being.