50 Coping Skills Discussion Questions to Ask Clients in Therapy Sessions

Coping skills are behaviors and thoughts that can be used to manage stressful situations. This includes internal experiences like troubling thoughts and emotions, and external stressors such as workplace conflicts and interpersonal challenges. Coping skills are used consciously, which differentiates them from defense mechanisms, which tend to occur without thought. Keep reading to learn 50 coping skills discussion questions to ask clients in therapy sessions.

There are two ways coping skills can be applied. The first is reactive coping, which is done in response to a stressor, and proactive coping which is done in an attempt to decrease the distress associated with expected stressors or challenges.  Examples of clinical assessments that can be used to learn about your clients coping practices include the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Coping Strategies Questionnaire, and the Coping Response Inventory.

The four general types of coping skills include:

1. Problem-focused coping: These coping skills are used to address the problem associated with stressors.
2. Emotion-focused coping: This includes coping skills that can help reduce the intensity of negative emotions associated with the problem at hand.
3. Meaning-focused coping: These coping skills are designed to manage the meaning of the situation, and often include cognitive strategies.
4. Social coping (also known as support-seeking): This includes seeking support from those around you and within your community.

Coping skills are often something that clients learn at a young age from observing those around them. For those who are not exposed to healthy, or effective, coping skills, maladaptive coping skills may be learned. These coping skills may appear to reduce distress from stressors; however, they can increase a person’s risk for unhealthy behaviors. This includes things like smoking and substance use when feeling psychological or emotional distress.

A client’s use of coping skills can impact various areas of their life. This includes their interpersonal relationships, professional performance, mental health, medical health, and social life. Those who experience anger control issues may experience legal consequences for reactive behaviors that occur in response to anger and other challenging emotions.

With that being said, coping skill development can be an effective treatment focus for clients of varying demographics. Coping skill development is a common component of treatment for those who are living with a mental health disorder, though it can also be impactful for those who experience mild to moderate difficulties regulating their emotions. Psychoeducation focusing on coping skill development can be incorporated into various therapy sessions including individual, group, couples, and family sessions. 

Getting Ready for Your First Therapy Session with a New Client

Before you meet with a new client, take time to review the documentation you have thus far. This may include referral paperwork, self-assessments, and an intake assessment depending on your treatment setting. These documents can help you gain insight into your clients presenting problems and what led to them seeking professional support.

Once you have a brief understanding of what your clients’ needs, you can begin preparing for your session. Worksheets are a valuable resource that can be incorporated into therapy sessions to reinforce topics discussed and promote session engagement. Additionally, worksheets can be used as an at-home reference for clients regarding what they learned in session.

TherapyByPro has an assortment of clinical tools that can be used in sessions. This ranges from intake documents to customizable documentation forms, and clinical worksheets. Below are examples of available worksheets related to coping skills that could be incorporated into therapeutic sessions:

• Coping Skills Worksheet Bundle
• Emotional Regulation Worksheets Bundle
• Problem Solving for Distress Worksheet
• Challenging Thought of Guilt Worksheet
• DBT Self-Soothe Worksheet

Lastly, we encourage you to take a moment and check on your own needs. It is not uncommon for professionals to have clients scheduled back-to-back. When this happens, we may find that we do not check in with ourselves our own needs. Time in between sessions can be used to incorporate your own coping skills or self-care practices. Maybe you could use a light snack, a stretch, water, or a brief meditation. 

What Coping Skills Questions Should I Ask In Sessions?

You can incorporate coping skills discussion questions into group, individual, family, and couples sessions. The questions you use will be tailored to your client and their experiences. Continue reading for examples of coping skill questions that you may find informative:

1. Can you tell me what “coping skills” mean to you?
2. How do you feel about your ability to use coping skills when you’re upset?
3. Can you tell me how you handle stress?
4. Would you say that you push aside, or bottle up your emotions?
5. Have you learned about different coping skills before?
6. Can you tell me about your “go-to” coping skills?
7. Are there any coping skills or strategies that you’ve been hesitant or curious to try?
8. What are some of the stressors that you find the most challenging?
9. When you’re upset, do you tend to reach out for support or isolate?
10. Are there any emotions that you struggle to cope with?
11. How do you respond when you feel overwhelmed or frustrated?
12. Do you feel as though you’re able to identify the emotions you’re experiencing at the moment?
13. Can you describe physical changes that you notice with different emotions, like anger and sadness?
14. Are there any stressors or emotions that you feel you could handle better?
15. If you woke up tomorrow and were able to use coping skills effectively, how would your life look different?
16. Are there any barriers that keep you from using healthy coping skills?
17. Can you tell me what the phrase “maladaptive coping skill” means?
18. Are there any coping skills that you use that may fall under the category of unhealthy or maladaptive?
19. Have you found yourself using drugs or alcohol to cope with psychological distress?
20. Have you noticed any changes in your substance use when you’ve had a tough day?
21. Have you used self-harming behaviors, including disordered eating, to cope with emotional or psychological distress?
22. Can you think of someone in your life that you believe copes well with their emotions and stressors?
23. What have you observed that makes you think of this person?
24. Can you tell me about how the surrounding adults handled stress and challenging emotions when you were a child?
25. How do you feel your environment as a child impacted your emotional development?
26. How often do you find yourself struggling with emotions or stressors?
27. What changes will you notice when you’re making progress regarding your use of effective coping skills?
28. How do you think that developing effective coping skills will affect your relationships?
29. Could developing new coping skills have an impact on your professional or academic performance?
30. How often do you find yourself engaging in self-care practices?
31. What is your understanding of self-care practices?
32. Can you tell me about your thoughts when you’re feeling overwhelmed or upset?
33. Are there any negative thought patterns that come up when you’re facing challenges?
34. What do you tell yourself when you’re facing challenges?
35. How do you respond when you’re experiencing intrusive or distressing thoughts
36. Can you tell me how you show yourself gratitude?
37. Can you tell me about what helps you see other perspectives in difficult situations?
38. What are your thoughts of positive affirmations? Would you be open to using them?
39. Can you tell me about what behaviors, hobbies, or activities help you relax?
40. What are some of your go-to behaviors to take care of yourself when you feel drained?
41. Have you experienced burnout before?
42. Have you tried mindfulness or breathing techniques?
43. What are some signs that you need to slow down or take a break?
44. Who in your life do you turn to when you need support?
45. What is it like for you to ask for help?
46. How do you handle conflicts or disagreements with others? Is there anyone in your life that you find more challenging to navigate these situations than others?
47. How do you feel your friendships affect your coping skills?
48. Do you feel as though you’re able to set boundaries when you’re feeling overwhelmed?
49. How do you handle surprises or unexpected changes?
50. Would you say that you use humor or laughter as a coping skill for challenging emotions or situations?

Final Thoughts On Asking the Right Coping Skills Questions in Sessions

Thank you for reading our resource on 50 coping skills discussion questions you can ask your clients in a therapy setting. There are several benefits to helping your clients learn new and effective coping skills. They can learn emotion regulation skills and experience behavioral improvements, cognitive changes, and interpersonal benefits. With improved coping, clients can improve work performance, decrease interpersonal challenges, and improve their overall emotional wellbeing.

Coping skill development can be an important topic for clients of all ages and mental health concerns. It is important to be mindful of your client’s capabilities when exploring mental health treatment options. Coping skills used with adults are likely going to differ from those used with children. Continuing education and training courses within your niche can help you learn about and how to implement new coping skills.

View all coping skills worksheets

Resources:

• Algorani EB, Gupta V. Coping Mechanisms. [Updated 2023 Apr 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559031/