Free · No sign-up · Works in your browser
Free online DBT diary card.
Track emotions, urges, target behaviors and DBT skills for the week. Entries stay in this browser. Print it, or save a PDF for your next session.
- No account
- Saved in your browser, not on a server
- Print or save as PDF
- Customizable rows
It sounds like today was really hard. If you are thinking about suicide or might act on urges to hurt yourself, you don't have to handle it alone.
In the US, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Elsewhere, find a local line at findahelpline.com or call your local emergency number. If you have a safety plan or a coaching number from your therapist, now is a good time to use it.
Customize rows
Your data: backup, restore, clear
Your card is stored in this browser's local storage on this device. Private windows, clearing site data, or switching browsers will remove it. Download a backup to keep a copy.
Rather keep your card on your phone?
The DBT Diary Card app for iPhone and iPad adds daily reminders, an optional Face ID lock, weekly charts and PDF export for any date range.
How it works
How to use this online diary card
- Set up your rows. Open Customize rows and match the emotions, urges and target behaviors to the card your therapist uses. Your rows are remembered for every week.
- Fill in each day. Use the week grid on a computer, or switch to One day on a phone. Type or tap a number from 0 to 5 for each emotion and urge, mark target behaviors Yes or No, and check the skills you used.
- Rate your skills use. Give the day a 0–7 skills-use rating and add a short note about what happened.
- Bring it to your session. Choose Print / Save PDF. The card prints on a landscape page in a familiar diary-card layout. Prefer paper? Choose Print blank card and fill it in by hand.
Tip: in the week grid, use the arrow keys to move between cells. Typing a number replaces the value; delete it to clear the cell.
The card
What goes on a DBT diary card?
A DBT diary card is a one-week record used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, the treatment developed by Marsha Linehan. You fill it in daily, and your therapist reviews it at the start of each session to decide what to work on. Cards vary between programs, but most include the same four parts, and this card follows that layout.
- Urges. How strong urges were each day, such as urges to self-harm, use substances or quit therapy.
- Emotions. The intensity of emotions like sadness, anger, fear, shame and joy, plus emotional and physical misery.
- Target behaviors. Whether behaviors you are working to decrease (or increase) happened that day.
- Skills. Which DBT skills you used across the four modules: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance.
Emotions and urges: 0–5
- None
- Slight
- Mild
- Moderate
- Strong
- Most intense
Skills use: 0–7
- Not thought about or used
- Thought about, not used, didn't want to
- Thought about, not used, wanted to
- Tried but couldn't use them
- Tried, could use them, didn't help
- Tried, could use them, helped
- Didn't try, used them, didn't help
- Didn't try, used them, helped
If your therapist defines the scales differently, use their definitions. The numbers are there to help you notice patterns together, not to grade your week.
Choosing a format
Paper, online or app?
All three hold the same information. The best one is the one you will actually fill in every day.
| Paper card | This online card | DBT Diary Card app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free | Free download, paid full access |
| Account needed | No | No | No |
| Where entries live | On the paper | In this browser on this device | On your iPhone or iPad |
| Daily reminders | No | No | Yes |
| Lock with Face ID | No | No | Yes, optional |
| Weekly charts | No | Weekly averages | Yes |
| Print or PDF | It is the paper | Yes, one week at a time | Yes, day, week or custom range |
Privacy
Your entries stay in your browser
This page has no sign-in, no analytics and no server-side storage. What you type is saved with your browser's local storage on the device you are using, and it never leaves that device unless you print, export or share it yourself.
That also means a few practical limits. Your card won't follow you to another browser or device. If you use a private or incognito window, it is deleted when you close the window. Clearing your browser's site data deletes it too. Use Download backup if you want to keep a copy, and avoid filling it in on a shared or public computer.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this online DBT diary card free?
Yes. The card is free to use in your browser with no account, no sign-up and no ads.
Where are my diary card entries saved?
In your browser's local storage on this device. They are not sent to Lean Orbit. Clearing browsing data, using a private window, or switching browsers or devices means they will not be there, so download a backup if you want a copy.
Can I print a blank DBT diary card?
Yes. Use Print blank card. It prints the rows you have set up with empty cells, so customize the emotions, urges and behaviors first if you want your own version.
How do I save my diary card as a PDF?
Select Print / Save PDF, then choose Save as PDF as the destination in your browser's print dialog. On iPhone, open the print preview and use the share button to save the PDF to Files.
What do the 0–5 and 0–7 scales mean?
Emotions and urges are rated from 0 (none) to 5 (most intense). The 0–7 skills-use rating records whether you thought about skills, tried them, and whether they helped. See both scales. Use your therapist's definitions if they differ.
Can I change the emotions, urges and behaviors?
Yes. Open Customize rows to rename, remove or add rows, choose whether the week starts on Monday or Sunday, and hide the skills checklist if you don't need it.
Can my therapist see my diary card?
No. Nothing is sent anywhere. Your therapist only sees the card if you print it, save it as a PDF and share it, or show them your screen.
Does this replace therapy or a crisis service?
No. It is a self-tracking tool, not therapy, medical advice or crisis monitoring. If you are in danger or might act on urges to hurt yourself, call or text 988 in the US, or contact local emergency services.
Is there a DBT diary card app?
Yes. DBT Diary Card: Skills Tracker is an iPhone and iPad app by Lean Orbit with reminders, an optional app lock, weekly summaries and PDF export. It is a free download with paid full access.
Sources
- University of Washington Behavioral Research & Therapy Clinics: assessment instruments and diary cards
- University of Washington: DBT Skills Diary Card with instructions (PDF)
- Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
This page is general education and a self-tracking tool. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or crisis monitoring. Use the fields and scales agreed with your qualified provider.
Your next check-in
Take your card with you.
Reminders, an app lock, weekly charts and PDF export on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreiPhone & iPad · iOS / iPadOS 17 or later · Free download with paid full access