DBT Phone Coaching Between Sessions: How It Works & Why It Matters

DBT phone coaching is a core component of comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). It is designed to help clients use DBT skills in real-life situations, at the moment they are most needed — outside of therapy sessions.

Phone coaching is not a therapy session and it is not a crisis hotline. Instead, it is a brief, skills-focused interaction that supports clients in applying what they are already learning in DBT.

The Purpose of DBT Phone Coaching

The primary purpose of phone coaching is skills generalization — helping clients take DBT skills out of the therapy room and into their daily lives.

In DBT, change does not happen only during sessions. Many of the most difficult moments occur:

• During interpersonal conflict

• When emotions escalate quickly

• When urges to avoid, self-harm, or act impulsively increase

• When anxiety, shame, or anger feels overwhelming

Phone coaching provides support in the moment, so clients can:

• Pause before acting on urges

• Identify which skill fits the situation

• Practice using the skill effectively

This is one of the features that distinguishes adherent DBT from other therapy models.

What DBT Phone Coaching Is (and Is Not)

DBT Phone Coaching Is:

• Brief (typically 5–10 minutes)

• Focused on skills use, not processing emotions

• Provided by the client’s DBT therapist or DBT treatment team

• A way to prevent problem behaviors before they occur

DBT Phone Coaching Is Not:

• A full therapy session

• A replacement for individual therapy or skills group

• A crisis hotline or emergency service

• Ongoing emotional processing or problem-solving

Clients are coached to apply a specific DBT skill rather than discuss the entire situation in depth.

When Clients Use DBT Phone Coaching

Clients are encouraged to reach out before engaging in target behaviors, not after. Examples include:

• Feeling intense anxiety before a work meeting and wanting to avoid

• Experiencing urges to self-harm following an argument

• Preparing to ask for something difficult using DEAR MAN

• Managing anger or shame during a family interaction

The goal is to interrupt the behavioral chain and support skillful responding in real time.

What a DBT Phone Coaching Call Might Look Like

A typical phone coaching interaction may include:

• Brief description of the situation

• Identification of emotions, urges, and goals

• Selection of an appropriate DBT skill (e.g., STOP, TIP, DEAR MAN, Opposite Action)

• Coaching on how to apply the skill immediately

The focus remains on action and skill use, not emotional processing.