DBT Skills Cheat Sheet (TIPP, DEAR MAN) — Quick Prompts
TIPP and DEAR MAN made sense in session. At 11pm they’re letters. A DBT skills list with quick prompts for each module — not a course, not a skills group.
This is self-help for people who journal between therapy or coaching sessions. It is not treatment, diagnosis, or a replacement for care from a licensed clinician. The author builds Conviction; he is not a therapist.
Therapist handed you a diary card. TIPP and DEAR MAN made sense in the room. At 11pm they are letters.
This is the pocket version I keep for people who journal the skills — not a DBT course, not skills training, and not “what is DBT.” The practice page is DBT journaling: diary card + journal. Marsha Linehan’s model lives at Behavioral Tech and in the DBT Skills Training Manual. Conviction is not affiliated with either.
I built an on-device journal. I do not teach DBT. If you are in a skills group, this should match what you already heard. Then you write it in your own words, on your phone.
iPhone walkthroughs — Safe Harbor, The Mirror, Pattern Lab, The Council — live on DBT skills. Not a binder.
The four modules, as journal prompts
DBT splits skills into four modules. For each: one sentence on the job, then what to write (or say) after you use it.
1. Mindfulness
Job: Notice this moment without immediately arguing with it.
On the card: Wise Mind, Observe, Describe, Participate, non-judgmentally, one-mindfully, effectively.
In the journal: Three factual sentences. No “I shouldn’t feel this.” Camera-only.
2. Distress tolerance
Job: Survive a peak without making it worse. Not the same as solving the life problem.
On the card: TIPP, STOP, ACCEPTS, IMPROVE, Radical Acceptance, self-soothe.
In the journal: Peak intensity / skill / intensity ten minutes later / whether you added a new problem (sent the text, drank, left, etc.).
3. Emotion regulation
Job: Change the odds of the next peak — sleep, food, opposite action, Check the Facts.
On the card: PLEASE, Opposite Action, Check the Facts, ABC PLEASE.
In the journal: What the emotion was for (the function), what the facts were, what you did with the action urge.
4. Interpersonal effectiveness
Job: Ask, say no, keep self-respect, without torching the relationship or yourself.
On the card: DEAR MAN, GIVE, FAST.
In the journal: The DEAR MAN you planned vs. the one that came out of your mouth. One line on which letter you skipped.
How this page relates to Conviction
Use the reference here. Practice on the journaling hub. Between-session flags: /therapeutic-journal.
The mapping is a convenience, not a claim the app is DBT. Safe Harbor is body-first when the skill is TIPP. The Mirror is closer to Check the Facts than a pep talk. Pattern Lab is closer to a chain than a checkbox. The Council is where DEAR MAN / GIVE / FAST live as a walkthrough.
Free to start. Pro is $3.99 one-time. iPhone 15 Pro or later. Airplane mode works — the acronyms stay on your phone. Not a replacement for a skills group. Not a Linehan diary card.
FAQ
Where is TIPP written out step by step?
On the phone, in Safe Harbor — DBT skills. This page is the map so you remember which module you were even in.
Can Conviction certify my DBT homework?
No. Your clinician certifies homework. We store your words on your phone.
Is this a DBT diary card?
No. This is a reference and prompt sheet. If you want the companion that holds the story the grid can’t, see DBT journaling: diary card + journal. We are not affiliated with Behavioral Tech.
Sources
- Linehan, M. M. DBT Skills Training Manual. Guilford.
- Behavioral Tech