17 min read
Best DBT Apps for iPhone: A Practical Comparison
The best DBT apps for iPhone, compared on diary cards, Chain Analysis, offline access, privacy and cost, including Bifocal, DBT Coach and DBT Pal.
- DBT
- DBT Apps
- iPhone
- Privacy
- Mental Health
DBT guides
DBT skills, explained in plain language.
Short, practical guides to the skills taught in Dialectical Behavior Therapy: what they are, when to use them, and how to practise between sessions. No sign-up, no fluff, and no claim that an app replaces a clinician.
Written by Henry Lightfoot, who uses DBT and builds Bifocal.
Looking up a specific skill? The DBT skills glossary explains each one in a single page.
All guides
10 articles
13 min read
Chain Analysis in DBT: A Step-by-Step Guide
Chain analysis is a DBT tool for understanding what led to a problem behaviour. Learn the seven steps, how to map each link, and how to turn it into a plan.
- DBT
- Chain Analysis
- Behaviour Change
- Emotion Regulation
- Mental Health
10 min read
DEAR MAN in DBT: How to Ask for What You Need
DEAR MAN is the DBT skill for asking for what you need. Learn each step with scripts and examples, plus when to use GIVE and FAST instead.
- DBT
- Interpersonal Effectiveness
- Communication
- Mental Health
13 min read
How to Build a DBT Crisis Plan (With a Skills Ladder)
A DBT crisis plan decides which skills you use at which level of distress. Learn how to build one with a skills ladder, a template and a rehearsal routine.
- DBT
- Crisis Plan
- Skills Ladder
- Distress Tolerance
- Mental Health
11 min read
How to Track DBT Progress: A Week-by-Week Method
A practical method for tracking DBT progress: what to record each day, which patterns to look for each week, and how to review a month of skills in 20 minutes.
- DBT
- Progress Tracking
- Diary Card
- Analytics
- Mental Health
11 min read
How to Use a DBT Diary Card: A Step-by-Step Guide
A practical guide to the DBT diary card: what to track, how to rate emotions and urges, and how to use the card in and between therapy sessions.
- DBT
- Diary Cards
- Emotion Regulation
- Mental Health
12 min read
Life Worth Living Goals in DBT: How to Set Them
Life worth living goals give DBT skills a reason to be used. Learn what they are, how to write one, and how to use it when distress makes quitting feel easier.
- DBT
- Life Worth Living Goals
- Values
- Motivation
- Mental Health
10 min read
Radical Acceptance in DBT, Explained
Radical acceptance means accepting reality as it is without approving of it. Learn the DBT skill, how it differs from resignation, and how to practise it.
- DBT
- Distress Tolerance
- Radical Acceptance
- Mental Health
14 min read
The Dime Game in DBT: How Hard Should You Ask?
The Dime Game is a DBT exercise for deciding how firmly to ask for something or say no. Learn the ten questions, the scoring and how to use the result.
- DBT
- Dime Game
- Interpersonal Effectiveness
- Communication
- Mental Health
10 min read
TIPP in DBT: Fast Relief for Overwhelming Emotions
TIPP is a DBT distress tolerance skill: cold water, intense exercise, paced breathing and paired muscle relaxation. Here is how to use it when emotions spike.
- DBT
- Distress Tolerance
- Mental Health
The app behind the guides
Practise these skills in Bifocal.
Diary cards, TIPP skills for high distress and learning content on your iPhone. Everything is stored on the device and in your own private iCloud, works offline, and needs no account.
Download on the App Store