DBT Skill: ACCEPTS Worksheet (Free PDF Download)

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Download the worksheet (PDF)

What is the DBT ACCEPTS worksheet?

The dbt accepts skills pdf turns each letter of ACCEPTS into a distraction strategy: Activities, Contributing, Comparison, Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts and Sensations. Each carries a worked example, from going for a walk to taking a hot or cold shower, and space to write the client’s own.

How to use the DBT ACCEPTS worksheet

Use it both in session and as homework. Work through the seven letters once together so the client has an example for each, then let them fill their own. List three activities you enjoy is deliberately concrete, because a client in distress will not invent options on the spot. Your clients can carry the completed sheet and pick from it rather than deciding under pressure. Distraction is a holding measure, not a solution, and the sheet should be taught that way.

DBT ACCEPTS Worksheet Download – What’s Included

Two printable pages. Page one defines ACCEPTS and takes each letter in turn, with a short explanation and an example. Those run from going for a walk to donating to a charity, watching a comedy show and taking a hot or cold shower. Page two is the writing side, asking for three activities, three ways to contribute, two comparisons, three mood-changers and one method for pushing thoughts away.

Based on DBT skills developed by Marsha Linehan. Linehan, M. M. (2014). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Frequently asked questions

What is the mnemonic ACCEPTS?

Seven distraction strategies, one per letter: Activities, Contributing, Comparison, Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts and Sensations. Each is a way of getting through a distressing moment without making it worse. The sheet pairs every letter with an example and asks the client to add their own.

What are acceptance skills in DBT?

Worth separating from this sheet. Linehan’s distress tolerance module holds crisis-survival skills, which ACCEPTS belongs to, and reality-acceptance skills such as radical acceptance. ACCEPTS distracts you until the moment passes. Acceptance skills work on the harder task of stopping the fight with what has already happened.

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Your Author

Tracy Collins, LCP

Tracy Collins is a licensed clinical psychologist with over six years of direct clinical experience in outpatient and telehealth settings. She specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy, structured treatment planning, and measurable therapy outcomes. Tracy has extensive experience writing SOAP and DAP notes, developing insurance-compliant treatment plans, and aligning documentation with ICD-10 and DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria. Her clinical approach integrates cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, behavioral activation, exposure-based interventions, and mindfulness-based strategies to create structured and outcome-driven therapy plans. At Mentalyc, Tracy supports therapists by creating educational resources that simplify documentation workflows and improve treatment plan defensibility during audits.