Dialectical behavior therapy / DBT-A11-2
Emotion Naming and Function — Practice worksheet
Name a possible emotion, its cue, its urge, and the need or concern it may signal.
15 minutes · Worksheet · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Taylor notices frustration after a boundary is ignored.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Emotions carry information while action choices require context.
1. Choose a workable example
Use the fictional example below or an ordinary situation of your choosing. Keep identifying details out of shared copies.
2. Try the practice
Name a possible emotion, its cue, its urge, and the need or concern it may signal.
3. Compare possibilities
Generate at least two interpretations or options. Mark what you know, what you are guessing, and what remains outside your control.
4. Decide together
What is the emotion pointing toward, and what needs checking? Choose one small action, a support request, or no action. Review the fit with your clinician when relevant.
Prompts for this resource
- My chosen or fictional situation, and what I know about it:
- My response to the practice task above:
- What is the emotion pointing toward, and what needs checking?
- An optional next step, support, adaptation, or reason to stop:
Conceptual background
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training: Fundamentals — Behavioral Tech Institute
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.