Coping skills are the bedrock of many forms of therapy. Many therapists ask their clients to practice these skills daily and record their experiences. Therapy sessions then offer an opportunity to review these notes and address obstacles, gain insights, and track progress.
Our Coping Skills Log supports this approach by offering a flexible template for use with a wide range of coping skills. Some of the many possibilities compatible with our log include:
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): Thought Defusion, Leaves on a Stream
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Cognitive Distortions, Automatic Thoughts, Putting Thoughts on Trial
- Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): Distress Tolerance Skills, ACCEPTS, IMPROVE the Moment
- Relaxation and mindfulness: Deep Breathing, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Mindfulness Exercises
- Mood or emotion-specific skills: Anger, Anxiety, Depression
Ask clients to write the skill they’ll practice at the top of each worksheet. They can use the “situation” column to note the triggering event or context in which the skill is to be applied. In addition to recording their thoughts and emotions, clients can note a pre- and post-intervention intensity rating (1 = very low; 10 = very high) for each indicated emotion. The “results” column lets them describe their experience with using the skill in question.
Encourage clients to practice their coping skills using our log and then discuss their progress in session. You can provide any needed follow-up instructions and compare the effectiveness of the various attempted skills.
