DBT Glossary: Key DBT Terms Explained

A DBT glossary is a quick-reference guide to the words and phrases used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, from core ideas like dialectics and wise mind to program terms like diary cards and target behaviors. DBT Path, the original online DBT skills class since 2013, put this DBT glossary together so you can look up an unfamiliar term the moment it comes up, whether you found it in a book, heard it from a therapist, or saw it while researching a DBT skills class.

This page is educational, not medical or diagnostic advice. If you are in crisis, please contact a crisis line or emergency services in your area.

How to use this DBT glossary

This DBT glossary groups terms by the four DBT skill modules, plus a section on treatment structure and a short list of related mental health terms you’ll often see alongside DBT. Where a term already has its own full DBT Path guide (like TIPP or Wise Mind), you’ll find a link to go deeper.

Core concepts and philosophy

These are the foundational terms of the DBT glossary, the ideas everything else in DBT builds on.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment that combines behavior change strategies with acceptance strategies, originally developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan. DBT Path teaches the full DBT skills curriculum online, in a psychoeducational class format rather than individual therapy.

Dialectics

Dialectics is the idea that two seemingly opposite things can both be true at once, most famously “acceptance and change.” Holding a dialectic means looking for the both/and instead of getting stuck in either/or thinking. DBT Path weaves dialectical thinking through every module of the class, not just as a concept but as a daily practice.

Biosocial theory

Biosocial theory is DBT’s explanation for why some people struggle more with intense emotions: it proposes that emotional sensitivity (a biological tendency) combines over time with an invalidating environment to produce ongoing difficulty regulating emotion. It is not about blame, it is about understanding the pattern so it can be changed.

Emotional vulnerability

Emotional vulnerability describes a nervous system that reacts to emotional situations more intensely, more quickly, and for longer than average, and takes longer to return to baseline. DBT Path’s classes are built specifically for emotionally sensitive people who recognize this pattern in themselves.

Invalidating environment

An invalidating environment is a setting, often a family or community, where a person’s private emotional experiences are frequently dismissed, punished, or treated as wrong, too much, or inaccurate. Biosocial theory holds that this pattern, paired with emotional sensitivity, contributes to emotion dysregulation over time.

Emotion dysregulation

Emotion dysregulation is difficulty managing the intensity, duration, or expression of emotions in a way that fits the situation. DBT’s four skill modules were designed specifically to reduce emotion dysregulation over time through practice.

Life worth living

A “life worth living” is DBT’s term for the personally meaningful, values-aligned life a person is working toward as they build skills, not just the absence of crisis. DBT Path frames the whole nine-month class around this idea: skills in service of a life you actually want.

Validation

Validation means communicating that someone’s feelings, thoughts, or actions make sense given their situation, without necessarily agreeing that the action itself was effective. Read the full guide to the Validation skill.

Levels of validation

DBT typically describes six levels of validation, ranging from simply paying attention, to reflecting back what you heard, to naming unspoken emotions, to treating someone as capable and equal. Higher levels of validation tend to land as more genuinely understood.

Treatment structure and program terms

This section of the DBT glossary explains how DBT treatment itself is structured, separate from the skills.

Comprehensive DBT

Comprehensive DBT (sometimes called “full-model DBT”) refers to the complete treatment package Marsha Linehan researched: weekly individual therapy, a weekly skills group, between-session coaching, and a therapist consultation team. DBT Path is a psychoeducational skills class, not comprehensive DBT or a replacement for individual therapy, and works well alongside it.

DBT-informed

“DBT-informed” describes a program or provider that draws on DBT skills and principles without delivering the full, adherent comprehensive DBT model. DBT Path teaches the complete, evidence-based DBT skills curriculum in a live, structured class, which is different from a loosely DBT-informed workshop.

Skills training group

A skills training group is the module of DBT devoted specifically to teaching the four sets of skills (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness) in a class-like format, usually separate from individual therapy. DBT Path’s entire class is built around this model, taught live online since 2013.

Individual therapy (in DBT)

In comprehensive DBT, individual therapy is the one-on-one weekly session where a client and therapist apply skills to that person’s specific life and target behaviors. DBT Path is not individual therapy, but many students take DBT Path skills classes alongside their individual therapist.

Between-session coaching

Between-session coaching (sometimes called phone coaching) is brief contact with a DBT therapist between sessions, meant to help a client use skills in a real moment of difficulty rather than waiting for the next appointment. This is a feature of comprehensive DBT; DBT Path instead gives students personalized written feedback each week on their skills practice.

Consultation team

A consultation team is a group of DBT therapists who meet regularly to support one another in delivering DBT with fidelity to the model. It exists to help clinicians, not clients directly, though it is considered a required part of comprehensive DBT.

Stages of treatment

DBT organizes treatment into stages, generally moving from stabilizing severe or life-threatening behavior, to reducing quality-of-life-interfering problems, to addressing past experiences and building a fuller sense of self, to ordinary happiness and meaning. Most DBT skills classes, including DBT Path, focus on the skills that support every stage.

Target behaviors

Target behaviors are the specific behaviors a person and their DBT therapist agree to track and reduce, typically in order of priority. Naming a target behavior clearly is often the first step in changing it.

Treatment target hierarchy

The treatment target hierarchy is the order in which DBT addresses problems: life-threatening behaviors first, then behaviors that interfere with therapy itself, then behaviors that interfere with quality of life, then skills building. This hierarchy exists so the most urgent safety concerns are never lost among smaller, everyday struggles.

Primary and secondary targets

Primary targets are the top-priority behaviors DBT addresses first, such as safety concerns, while secondary targets are the underlying patterns (like the dialectical dilemmas below) that tend to drive those behaviors. Working on secondary targets often reduces how often primary targets come up.

Behavior chain analysis

A behavior chain analysis is a step-by-step breakdown of a difficult behavior: the vulnerability factors leading up to it, the specific chain of events, thoughts, and feelings, and the consequences that followed. It is one of the most practical tools in DBT for spotting exactly where a different choice, or a different skill, could change the outcome next time.

Diary card

A diary card is a daily tracking sheet used in DBT to record emotions, urges, target behaviors, and which skills were used. Reviewing a diary card regularly helps a person (and their therapist, in comprehensive DBT) see patterns that are hard to notice in the moment.

Commitment strategies

Commitment strategies are the specific techniques DBT therapists use to strengthen a client’s commitment to treatment and to change, especially at the start of therapy or after a setback. They matter because building new skills takes sustained motivation, not just good intentions on day one.

Contingency management

Contingency management is the DBT principle that behavior is shaped by its consequences, so what gets reinforced (even unintentionally) is more likely to happen again. Therapists and skills coaches use this awareness carefully, aiming to reinforce skillful behavior rather than crisis behavior.

Shaping

Shaping means reinforcing small steps in the right direction rather than waiting for a perfect result before offering encouragement. DBT relies heavily on shaping because new skills, like any new habit, are rarely mastered on the first try.

Dialectical dilemmas

Dialectical dilemmas are patterns where a person swings between two extreme, unworkable positions, such as emotional vulnerability versus self-invalidation, instead of finding a workable middle path. Recognizing your own dialectical dilemmas is often the first step toward the Walking the Middle Path skill.

Apparent competence

Apparent competence describes the pattern where someone’s emotional pain is invisible to others because they present as capable, put-together, or “fine,” which can lead people around them to underestimate how much they’re struggling. This mismatch is common among emotionally sensitive people and can make it harder to get needed support.

Active passivity

Active passivity is a pattern of approaching problems by seeking others to solve them, rather than actively problem-solving oneself, often out of a genuine sense of being overwhelmed rather than a lack of effort. Naming this pattern with compassion, not judgment, is part of how DBT works with it.

DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (DBT-LBC)

The DBT-Linehan Board of Certification is an independent nonprofit that certifies individual clinicians and programs as delivering adherent, comprehensive DBT. DBT-LBC certification applies to comprehensive DBT providers; DBT Path is a psychoeducational skills class rather than a certified comprehensive DBT program, and is transparent with students about that distinction.

Mindfulness module terms

The mindfulness section of this DBT glossary covers the foundational skills every other module builds on.

Wise mind

Wise Mind is the balanced state where emotion and reason work together, rather than one overriding the other. Read the full guide to Wise Mind.

Reasonable mind

Reasonable mind is the state of mind focused on logic, facts, and planning, without much emotional input. It is one of DBT’s three states of mind, alongside emotion mind and wise mind.

Emotion mind

Emotion mind is the state of mind where feelings drive thoughts and behavior, sometimes helpfully and sometimes in ways that don’t fit the facts of the situation. Like reasonable mind, it is a normal state, not a flaw, and DBT teaches how to notice which state you’re in.

States of mind

DBT describes three states of mind: reasonable mind, emotion mind, and wise mind. Read the full guide to States of Mind.

What skills

The “What” skills of mindfulness are observe, describe, and participate, the three things you actually do to practice being mindful. Read the full guide to the What Skills.

How skills

The “How” skills of mindfulness describe the quality you bring to the What skills: nonjudgmentally, one-mindfully, and effectively. Read the full guide to the How Skills.

One-mindfully

One-mindfully means doing one thing at a time, fully in the present moment, instead of splitting attention across several things at once. It is one of the three How skills of mindfulness.

Nonjudgmental stance

A nonjudgmental stance means describing facts and experiences as they are, without labeling them as good, bad, fair, or unfair. It is one of the three How skills of mindfulness, and one of the hardest to practice consistently.

Effectively (as a How skill)

“Effectively” as a How skill means focusing on what actually works in a situation, rather than on what feels right, fair, or how things “should” be. It’s a deceptively simple shift that can defuse a lot of unnecessary conflict.

Loving kindness

Loving Kindness is a mindfulness practice of directing warm, caring wishes toward yourself and others, on purpose. Read the full guide to Loving Kindness.

Doing mind and being mind

Doing mind and being mind describe two modes of engaging with the present: getting things done versus simply being present without an agenda. Read the full guide to Doing Mind and Being Mind.

Distress tolerance module terms

This part of the DBT glossary defines the crisis survival tools taught in the distress tolerance module.

Crisis survival skills

Crisis survival skills are the distress tolerance tools designed to get you through an intense moment without making it worse, not to solve the underlying problem. TIPP, STOP, and ACCEPTS are all examples of crisis survival skills taught in DBT Path’s distress tolerance module.

TIPP

TIPP uses temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing, and paired muscle relaxation to calm the body fast during an emotional crisis. Read the full guide to the TIPP Skill.

STOP

STOP stands for Stop, Take a step back, Observe, and Proceed mindfully, a way to pause before reacting. Read the full guide to the STOP Skill.

ACCEPTS

ACCEPTS is a set of healthy distraction strategies for getting through a crisis without making it worse. Read the full guide to the ACCEPTS Skill.

IMPROVE the moment

IMPROVE the Moment offers seven ways to make a painful moment more bearable. Read the full guide to IMPROVE the Moment.

Self-soothe

Self-Soothe means comforting yourself through a hard moment using your five senses. Read the full guide to Self-Soothe.

Radical acceptance

Radical Acceptance means fully accepting a painful reality you cannot change, right now, so you stop adding extra suffering on top of it. Read the full guide to Radical Acceptance.

Turning the mind

Turning the Mind is the repeated, moment-by-moment choice to turn toward acceptance, since radical acceptance is rarely a one-time decision. It works alongside willingness as an ongoing practice, not a switch you flip once.

Willingness versus willfulness

Willingness means participating with reality as it is, while willfulness means fighting or refusing to engage with it. Read the full guide to Willingness vs. Willfulness.

Half-smiling and willing hands

Half-smiling and willing hands use small, deliberate shifts in your face and hands to help your body move toward acceptance. Read the full guide to Half-Smiling & Willing Hands.

Pros and cons

The Pros and Cons skill means weighing the costs and benefits of acting on an urge against the costs and benefits of resisting it, before you act. Read the full guide to Pros and Cons.

Alternate rebellion

Alternate Rebellion helps you satisfy the urge to rebel in a way that doesn’t damage your life or your goals. Read the full guide to Alternate Rebellion.

Emotion regulation module terms

This section of the DBT glossary defines the terms used to understand and manage emotions.

PLEASE

PLEASE is a set of skills for reducing emotional vulnerability by caring for your physical health, covering treating illness, eating, avoiding mood-altering substances, sleep, and exercise. Read the full guide to the PLEASE Skill.

Opposite action

Opposite Action means deliberately acting opposite to an emotion’s urge in order to change the emotion itself. Read the full guide to Opposite Action.

Check the facts

Check the Facts means testing whether an emotion’s intensity actually fits the real situation, or whether it’s being driven by an assumption or interpretation. Read the full guide to Check the Facts.

Cope ahead

Cope Ahead means mentally rehearsing a hard situation before it happens, so it feels less overwhelming when it arrives. Read the full guide to Cope Ahead.

Build mastery

Build Mastery means doing things, even small ones, that build a sense of competence and confidence over time. Read the full guide to Build Mastery.

Accumulate positive emotions

Accumulating positive emotions means intentionally adding small daily pleasures and longer-term meaningful goals into your life. Read the full guide to Accumulate Positive Emotions.

Problem solving (DBT)

In DBT, problem solving is the skill of working directly on a situation that is causing a justified, fact-fitting emotion, rather than only working on the emotion itself. Read the full guide to Problem Solving.

Mindfulness of current emotions

Mindfulness of current emotions means fully feeling an emotion and letting it move through you like a wave, without pushing it away or acting on its urge. Read the full guide to Mindfulness of Current Emotions.

Understanding and naming emotions

Understanding and naming emotions means identifying exactly what you’re feeling and what that emotion is for, which DBT treats as the foundation skill the rest of emotion regulation is built on. Read the full guide to Understanding and Naming Emotions.

Primary emotion

A primary emotion is your first, most direct emotional reaction to an event, before any secondary emotional reaction (like shame about the first feeling) piles on top of it. Naming the primary emotion clearly often takes some of the intensity out of the secondary reaction.

Secondary emotion

A secondary emotion is an emotional reaction to your own primary emotion, such as feeling ashamed of feeling angry. Secondary emotions are frequently more painful and harder to work with than the primary emotion that started the chain.

Vulnerability factors

Vulnerability factors are the physical and situational conditions, like poor sleep, hunger, illness, or substance use, that make it more likely you’ll react intensely to an emotional trigger. The PLEASE skill exists specifically to reduce vulnerability factors.

Interpersonal effectiveness module terms

This part of the DBT glossary covers the language of DBT’s interpersonal effectiveness skills.

DEAR MAN

DEAR MAN is a script for asking for what you want or saying no clearly and respectfully. Read the full guide to the DEAR MAN Skill.

GIVE

GIVE offers ways to keep a relationship strong while you ask for something or say no. Read the full guide to the GIVE Skill.

FAST

FAST helps you keep your self-respect during a difficult interaction. Read the full guide to the FAST Skill.

Objectives effectiveness

Objectives effectiveness is the priority of getting your specific goal met in an interaction, which is what the DEAR MAN skill is built around. It’s one of three interpersonal priorities DBT names, alongside relationship effectiveness and self-respect effectiveness.

Relationship effectiveness

Relationship effectiveness is the priority of keeping the relationship healthy while you communicate, which is what the GIVE skill supports. Sometimes it matters more than getting your specific request granted.

Self-respect effectiveness

Self-respect effectiveness is the priority of acting in a way that keeps your own values and self-respect intact during an interaction, which is what the FAST skill supports. It’s the priority most people tend to sacrifice first under pressure.

Walking the middle path

Walking the Middle Path means holding both acceptance and change, and both your perspective and someone else’s, instead of collapsing into either-or thinking. Read the full guide to Walking the Middle Path.

Self-validation

Self-validation means acknowledging your own feelings as real and understandable, instead of judging them. Read the full guide to Self-Validation.

The DIME game

The DIME Game is a framework for weighing the factors that help you decide how strongly to ask for something or say no in a given situation. Read the full guide to the DIME Game.

Related mental health terms

This last section of the DBT glossary defines terms that often come up alongside DBT, even though they are not DBT-specific.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD)

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health diagnosis marked by patterns of emotional intensity, difficulty in relationships, and impulsivity, and it is the condition DBT was originally developed to treat. DBT Path was founded by an educator in recovery from BPD, and offers DBT skills classes designed with BPD traits in mind, without diagnosing or treating BPD directly.

Emotional sensitivity

Emotional sensitivity is a temperament trait, not a diagnosis, describing a nervous system that experiences emotions more intensely and takes longer to settle. DBT Path was built specifically for emotionally sensitive people, whether or not they have a formal diagnosis.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI)

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to deliberately harming your own body without the intent to end your life, often as a way to cope with overwhelming emotion. DBT’s distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills were specifically researched as alternatives to NSSI; if you are struggling with self-harm, please also reach out to a licensed provider or crisis line.

Complex PTSD (cPTSD)

Complex PTSD (cPTSD) can develop after prolonged or repeated trauma, often in childhood, and can include difficulty regulating emotion, a persistent sense of threat, and relationship struggles that overlap significantly with what DBT skills address. DBT Path serves many students navigating cPTSD alongside emotional sensitivity.

Psychoeducation versus psychotherapy

Psychoeducation means teaching structured, evidence-based information and skills, while psychotherapy is a clinical treatment relationship aimed at diagnosing and treating a mental health condition. DBT Path is psychoeducational, a skills class, not psychotherapy, which is why it can be taken alongside individual therapy rather than in place of it.

Frequently asked questions about this DBT glossary

Is this DBT glossary a substitute for therapy or medical advice?

No. This DBT glossary is educational content meant to help you understand common DBT terms, not medical, diagnostic, or therapeutic advice. If you’re in crisis or need clinical support, please contact a licensed provider or a crisis line in your area.

Do I need to memorize these terms before joining a DBT skills class?

No. DBT Path teaches every one of these skills and concepts from the ground up in class, with personalized weekly feedback, so you don’t need any prior DBT vocabulary to start.

What’s the difference between DBT Path and comprehensive DBT?

Comprehensive DBT combines individual therapy, a skills group, phone coaching, and a therapist consultation team, while DBT Path is a psychoeducational skills class that teaches the same evidence-based DBT skills curriculum online, live, since 2013. Many DBT Path students take the class alongside their own individual therapist.

Will more terms be added to this DBT glossary over time?

Yes. DBT Path updates this DBT glossary as new terms come up, and each entry links to a full guide where DBT Path has one, so this page will keep growing alongside the DBT Skills Library.

Ready to learn these skills, not just the definitions?

Reading definitions is a starting point. Practicing the skills with guidance is where change actually happens. Explore DBT Path’s online DBT skills classes, the original online DBT skills class, taught live since 2013 with personalized weekly feedback.