ALPIMS • Everyday tools
Adaptable DBT tools
Practical skills for difficult moments, everyday choices and asking for what you need.
Choose one tool. Adapt it to your sensory needs, health and capacity.
Using a tool does not mean that your difficulties are your fault. It does not replace practical help, accessible environments or healthcare.
What is DBT?
Dialectical behaviour therapy combines acceptance and change. Its skills cover mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.
This page offers brief, plain-language summaries and optional ALPIMS adaptations. It is not a full DBT programme. Formal DBT involves more than reading or practising a few skills.
Skill names come from DBT developed by Marsha Linehan. The examples and accessibility adaptations here are written for ALPIMS; they have not been validated as a combined programme.
What would help most?
Open a coloured topic for a skill, adaptations and resources. Tips remain available as dropdowns if pop-ups cannot run.
External links open in a new tab, keeping ALPIMS open. DBT-RU videos offer skill explanations; the ALPIMS adaptations below are separate suggestions, not endorsed by DBT-RU. Videos open on YouTube without autoplay on this page.
STOP — pause before acting Open skill + adaptations + resources
Stop. Take a step back. Observe. Proceed mindfully.
Give yourself a pause before responding. Notice what is happening and choose a useful next action.
Make it accessible
- The step back can be a mental pause; you do not have to stand or move.
- Use a card or a trusted person’s agreed cue.
- Reduce questions and sensory input before trying to analyse the situation.
Example: “I need time before replying. I will come back to this after a break.”
Browse DBT-RU skill videos YouTube ↗
My pause card — Coming soonMindfulness & Wise Mind Open skill + adaptations + resources
Mindfulness involves noticing the present moment. Wise Mind brings together feelings and relevant facts when choosing an action.
Make it accessible
- Notice one neutral object instead of scanning every sensation.
- Keep your eyes open; use writing or a concrete question.
- You do not need to visualise, sit still or identify an exact feeling.
- Delay a non-urgent decision when exhausted or overloaded.
Ask: “What matters here, and what is a workable next step?”
These skills do not require denying pain, disability or a real problem.
Watch DBT-RU: Wise Mind YouTube ↗
Wise Mind in everyday decisions — Coming soonDistress tolerance & comfort Open skill + adaptations + resources
Distress tolerance focuses on getting through a difficult moment without adding harm. Self-soothing or a temporary distraction may help.
Make it accessible
- Choose a familiar item, tolerable sound or quiet space.
- A distraction can be brief and low-demand: one page, a familiar image or quiet company.
- Use the senses that feel comfortable; scent and touch are optional.
- Return to a solvable problem when you have capacity.
About TIPP: this DBT skill includes temperature change, intense exercise, paced breathing and paired muscle relaxation. It needs individual adaptation. Do not treat cold immersion or intense exercise as a requirement, particularly with PEM, POTS or other medical needs. Ask your clinician about physical techniques.
Stop a technique that increases dizziness, distress or pain. A comfortable position and practical help may be better options.
CCI: tolerating distress External site ↗
Watch DBT-RU: TIP skills YouTube ↗
Watch for information; choose physical techniques with your clinician where medical needs affect suitability. You do not have to follow every demonstration.
My low-demand comfort options — Coming soonEmotion regulation & everyday care Open skill + adaptations + resources
Check the Facts asks whether an interpretation fits the situation. Opposite Action is used when an emotion or its intensity does not fit the facts, or acting on it is ineffective.
Make it accessible
- Write one fact and one interpretation rather than a long worksheet.
- Ask for help considering uncertainty.
- Support meals, sleep, prescribed care and suitable activity within your limits.
- Choose a small enjoyable or meaningful activity without turning it into a productivity target.
ABC PLEASE: this group of DBT skills includes building positive experiences, coping ahead and supporting physical wellbeing. Adapt it to disability and medically necessary care.
Opposite Action is not an instruction to ignore danger, push through PEM, override sensory needs or abandon a boundary. When the problem is real, practical change or problem-solving may be the useful response.
Explore DBT-RU emotion regulation videos YouTube ↗
NICE: ME/CFS guidance External site ↗
ABC PLEASE adapted for daily life — Coming soonRequests, boundaries & self-respect Open skill + adaptations + resources
DEAR MAN supports clear requests. GIVE focuses on relationships; FAST supports self-respect.
Make it accessible
- Use a short written request or a prepared script.
- Ask for time to process, a quieter setting or practical assistance.
- Eye contact and fluent speech are not requirements.
- Negotiate where appropriate without giving up an essential access need.
Example: “Background noise makes this conversation difficult. Could we turn off the television and discuss one point at a time?”
A communication skill cannot guarantee another person’s cooperation. Do not use a script to confront someone when it would make you unsafe.
Watch DBT-RU: DEAR MAN YouTube ↗
Requests and boundaries scripts — Coming soonAcceptance, repair & getting support Open skill + adaptations + resources
Radical acceptance means recognising the reality of the present situation. It does not mean approving it or giving up change.
Make it accessible
- Use concrete wording: “This is happening. What support is available now?”
- Make room for grief, anger or uncertainty.
- After an episode, allow recovery before detailed reflection.
- If you hurt someone, acknowledge the impact and agree a safer plan.
- Seek supported skills practice if self-help is difficult or distress keeps recurring.
Ask for a therapist who can work with your neurodevelopmental, sensory, trauma and physical-health needs. A skill that does not fit can be adapted or replaced.
NHS: what a DBT programme involves External site ↗
Healthdirect: finding mental health support External site ↗
Acceptance without giving up — Coming soonNeurodivergent-friendly ways to use the tools
Different people need different adaptations. These are access options, not a separate validated DBT programme.
- Keep it concrete: replace a metaphor with one question or a worked example.
- Feelings can be hard to name: “too much,” “uncomfortable” or “not sure” is enough to start. Do not force a body scan if sensations are confusing or distressing.
- Support remembering and starting: use one visible cue, a short script or agreed help from another person. Practise one skill at a time.
- Allow different communication: writing, typing, pointing and extra processing time are valid. Eye contact is not a goal.
- Respect sensory regulation: familiar movement or stimming can be welcome if safe; mindfulness does not require stillness.
- Reduce overload first: skills are easier to consider when unnecessary input and demands are reduced. Do not make someone complete a worksheet during shutdown.
- Check facts without dismissing experience: a real sensory need, access barrier or pattern of harm deserves attention.
- Adapt videos: pause, replay, use captions or a transcript when available, change playback speed and stop when screen or sound input is too much.
You do not need to mask your neurotype or give up accommodations to use a skill.
NHS: practical ADHD strategies External site ↗
National Autistic Society: sensory processing External site ↗
Start smaller than a worksheet
Choose one cue: pause before sending a message, ask one clear question or prepare one comfort option. Practise when you have capacity. Written prompts, repetition and supported practice are valid ways to learn.
If a skill increases overload, stop and review it. Difficulty using a tool is information about the support or adaptation you need—not a personal failure.
If you need urgent help
In Australia, call 000 for immediate danger. For crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14; text and chat options are available through its website.
Lifeline support ↗