Moving along in our DBT Emotion Regulation skills journey! Today, we are going to talk about the skill Cope Ahead.

Cope Ahead can help you prepare for possible unpleasant future situations through mental imagery and rehearsal.

To practice Cope Ahead, utilize the following steps:

• Identify a situation that might cause you distress in the future.
• Identify any skills (problem solving, coping, or otherwise) that may be needed and/or helpful for the situation.
• Imagine yourself going through the situation and utilizing skills. Two important things to remember when doing this part is that you imagine using the skills effectively and that the skills work.
• When you have completed the mental run through of the situation, practice gentle relaxation techniques afterwards.

Reminder: these blog posts are meant to be purely educational and/or entertainment tools and do NOT replace psychotherapy and/or other medically necessary treatments.