DBT ABC PLEASE Worksheet: Regulate Emotions Through Self-Care

This DBT ABC PLEASE Worksheet guides clients through a detailed, two-page assessment of their current self-care and emotional accumulation habits. The first page covers the “ABC” skills, prompting clients to identify short-term and long-term positive events, activities that build a sense of mastery (competence), and a specific “Cope Ahead” plan for anticipated stressors. The second page focuses on the “PLEASE” skills, requiring specific action steps for treating physical illness, maintaining balanced nutrition, avoiding non-prescribed mind-altering substances, improving sleep hygiene, and incorporating regular exercise.

The structured layout requires clients to move beyond vague intentions and commit to specific, observable behaviors. By documenting “when” and “how” these skills will be implemented, the client develops a personalized self-regulation manual that can be reviewed and refined in clinical sessions.

How This Worksheet Can Be Used

During sessions:
Clinicians use the worksheet to conduct a “Vulnerability Audit.” If a client experienced a significant emotional outburst during the week, the therapist can use the PLEASE section to see if a lack of sleep or poor nutrition contributed to the event, providing a non-judgmental way to link lifestyle to behavior.

Between sessions:
Clients use the worksheet as a daily checklist for stability. It serves as a reminder that emotional regulation begins with the body, encouraging the client to treat self-care as a vital clinical intervention rather than an optional task.

In Emotion Regulation Modules:
This worksheet is a primary tool for the “Reducing Vulnerability” phase of emotion regulation training. It helps clients understand the “biopsychosocial” nature of their distress and empowers them to take control of the variables they can influence.

Benefits of the DBT ABC PLEASE Worksheet

• Reduces emotional vulnerability by addressing the physiological drivers of distress.
• Supports the “Accumulation of Positive Emotions” to provide a long-term buffer against low mood.
• Builds self-efficacy through the “Build Mastery” section, encouraging competence in daily life.
• Includes a “Cope Ahead” component to prepare clients for anticipated emotional challenges.
• Targets specific lifestyle factors like sleep, exercise, and nutrition that are often overlooked in traditional talk therapy.
• Provides a structured, repeatable framework for proactive emotional maintenance.

Integrating This Tool into Clinical Work

Integrating the DBT ABC PLEASE Worksheet is most effective when clinicians frame it as “biological insurance.” Clients often feel that basic self-care is “too simple” to help with their complex problems; the clinician’s role is to explain how physical vulnerability acts as a multiplier for emotional pain. When a client identifies an activity for “Building Mastery,” the therapist should ensure it is “challenging but possible”—something that provides a genuine sense of accomplishment. In the “Cope Ahead” section, clinicians should help clients rehearse their plan in session to increase behavioral fluency. By consistently reviewing the PLEASE entries, the clinician reinforces the idea that the client’s body is the “vessel” for their recovery, and maintaining that vessel is a non-negotiable part of the therapeutic process.

References

• Linehan, M. M. (2014). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
• Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. Guilford Press.
• Koerner, K. (2012). Doing Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A Practical Guide. Guilford Press.
• Rathus, J. H., & Miller, A. L. (2014). DBT Skills Manual for Adolescents. Guilford Press. (For simplified PLEASE skill implementation).