Diary cards
DBT Diary Card Example: A Filled-In Week
A blank card makes more sense once you've seen a full one. Here is one week of a DBT diary card, filled in, with what each row shows and what a therapist would look at first.
The example below uses the same layout as the free online DBT diary card and the printable blank card. Urges and emotions are rated 0–5, target behaviors are Y or N, and skills use is rated 0–7. The person and the week are made up.
The example card
| Row | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urges (0–5) | |||||||
| Suicidal thoughts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Urge to self-harm | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Urge to use drugs or alcohol | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Urge to quit therapy | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emotions (0–5) | |||||||
| Emotional misery | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Joy | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Sadness | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Anger | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fear | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Shame | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Target behaviors (Y/N) | |||||||
| Self-harm | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| Used drugs or alcohol | N | N | N | Y | N | N | N |
| Took meds as prescribed | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y |
| Isolated in my room | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| Skills | |||||||
| Skills use (0–7) | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Skills ticked | Check the facts, wise mind | PLEASE, accumulate positives | STOP, TIPP | Pros and cons | DEAR MAN, opposite action | Participate, accumulate positives | Cope ahead |
| Notes | Work deadline. Stressed, kept going. | Walked after work. Slept 8 hrs. | Argument with sister about the holidays. Wanted to skip group. | Still upset. Had 2 drinks, skipped evening meds. | Asked sister for a day before we talk. | Hike with a friend. | Planned for Monday's meeting. |
Fictional example. Shading marks higher ratings. Physical misery and the skills checklist are trimmed to keep it readable.
How to read this example, row by row
- Urges show the strongest point of each day, not the average. Wednesday's urge to use rated 3 even though nothing happened that day.
- Emotions are rated the same way. Several emotions can be high on the same day, as on Wednesday.
- Target behaviors are a plain yes or no. Thursday has two Y's and an N on meds. Recording them honestly is the point of the card, not a failure.
- Custom rows like "Isolated in my room" are targets this person agreed on with their therapist. Your card can have your own.
- Skills use records effort, not success. A 3 on Wednesday means skills were tried but couldn't be used. Saturday's 7 means they were used without much effort and helped. See the full 0–7 scale.
- Notes are one short line of facts. They are prompts for the session, not a journal.
What a therapist would notice
The card tells a short story. A conflict on Wednesday raised anger, misery and the urge to use. On Thursday shame peaked, skills use dropped to 2, and three target behaviors followed. By Friday this person used DEAR MAN to ask for space, and the weekend recovered.
In DBT, a week like this usually leads the session to Wednesday and Thursday, often with a chain analysis of what led from the argument to the drinking. Any rating above 0 on the suicidal thoughts or self-harm rows gets discussed first, even a 1. The good days matter too. Friday and Saturday show which skills worked for this person.
A week with Y's on it, filled in honestly, is more useful in session than a perfect-looking card.
Tips taken from the example
- Fill it in daily. Thursday's notes would be vaguer if they had been written on Sunday.
- Rate the peak. A calm evening doesn't cancel out a 4 at noon.
- Tick skills even when they didn't help. The 0–7 rating shows the difference between not trying and trying without success.
- Keep notes to facts. "Argument with sister" is enough to bring the day back in session.
- Use your therapist's rows and scales if they differ from this example.
Make your own card
Open the free online DBT diary card to fill in your week in the browser, change the rows to match your program, and print a filled-in card or save a PDF for your session. Prefer paper? Download the printable blank DBT diary card in Letter or A4.
Questions
Is there a filled-out DBT diary card example I can print?
The card above shows a full week. To make your own filled-out card, enter your week in the online diary card and choose Print / Save PDF.
What's the difference between a template and an example?
A template is a blank card with rows and scales. An example is a template filled in for a sample week, so you can see what ratings and notes look like.
How long should diary card notes be?
One short line per day: the main event and what you did. Save the detail for your session.
What if I forgot to fill in a day?
Fill it in as soon as you remember and note that it was late. If you can't remember, leave it blank. A blank day is information too.
Sources
- University of Washington Behavioral Research & Therapy Clinics: assessment instruments and diary cards
- Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Important: This article is general education, not medical or mental-health advice. Work out your card's rows and scales with your clinician. 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.
Keep your card on your phone
DBT Diary Card: Skills Tracker for iPhone and iPad reminds you to fill it in, locks with Face ID, and exports a PDF for your session. Free download with paid full access.
