DBT Exploring Action Tendencies Worksheet: Identifying Behavioral Urges

This DBT Exploring Action Tendencies Worksheet guides clients through a comprehensive, three-page comparative analysis of their emotional and behavioral systems. The first two pages utilize guided imagery and sensory-focused prompts to help the client relive a recent negative experience and a recent positive experience. Clients are asked to document the situational context, the specific somatic location of the emotion, and their outward behavioral reactions. The third page features a “Compare and Contrast” section where the client analyzes the differences in their responsiveness, identifies moments where they “held back” a reaction, and brainstorms more effective ways to handle emotional events in the future.

The structured layout ensures that clients do not just reflect on their distress, but also learn from their positive emotional states. By identifying triggers and body sensations across both types of experiences, the client builds a more sophisticated “internal map” of their emotional life, which is vital for early intervention during future moments of emotional escalation.

How This Worksheet Can Be Used

Clinical Sessions:
Therapists use the worksheet to conduct a “mini-chain analysis” of a client’s recent week. It serves as a diagnostic tool to help the clinician see which “action tendencies” (e.g., social withdrawal or verbal escalation) are most prominent and which body sensations serve as the most reliable early warning signs for the client.

Between-Session Practice:
Clients use the worksheet as a mindfulness assignment to improve “emotional literacy.” It encourages them to pause after an event and deconstruct their “urges,” helping them build the habit of observing their impulses rather than automatically following them.

Emotion Regulation Training:
As a primary tool for the “Understanding and Naming Emotions” module, this worksheet helps clients see the “function” of their emotions. It provides a concrete method for practicing the DBT skill of “Checking the Facts” regarding their behavioral urges.

Benefits of the DBT Exploring Action Tendencies Worksheet

• Identifies the specific “action urges” that drive impulsive and maladaptive behaviors.
• Supports somatic awareness by helping clients link emotions to specific body sensations.
• Features a comparative structure that highlights the difference between positive and negative behavioral patterns.
• Builds metacognitive distance, allowing clients to “feel” an urge without being “fused” with it.
• Includes a “Self-Reflection” section to identify moments of behavioral inhibition or “holding back.”
• Supports the “Emotion Regulation” and “Mindfulness” components of the evidence-based DBT protocol.

Integrating This Tool into Clinical Work

Integrating the DBT Exploring Action Tendencies Worksheet is most effective when clinicians emphasize that an urge is just “information,” not a “command.” Clinicians should guide clients through the imagery phase slowly, ensuring they can “feel” the emotion in the room before answering the questions. In the “Body” section, the therapist can help the client identify “micro-sensations”—like a slight tension in the hands or a sinking feeling in the stomach—that precede an action. When reviewing the comparison page, it is vital to explore *why* a client might hold back a positive reaction versus a negative one, as this often reveals underlying “stuck points” or “secondary emotions.” By consistently practicing with this worksheet, the clinician helps the client develop a “Wise Mind” relationship with their impulses, leading to greater behavioral autonomy and emotional stability.

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.
• Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment.