Senses as Structure
The worksheet is organized by sensory categories, commonly vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
Self-Soothing
Self-Soothing is a DBT distress-tolerance worksheet for practitioners helping clients lower distress through sensory comfort. It helps clients list soothing options by sense, practice them during distress, and report which strategies were realistic and helpful.
Explore the sensory coping plan
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Tool guide
Learn more about this tool
Use this background section to understand when the tool fits, how practitioners use it, and what to consider before sharing it with clients.
Blank Categories
Not every sense needs an option; blank senses remain visible for review and future refinement.
Practice History
Repeated practice records can be linked to the same sensory repertoire so the practitioner can review reported helpfulness over time.
Does every sense need a strategy?
No. Relevant senses may vary by client, and blank categories are allowed.
Does the tool recommend sensory strategies?
No. Strategies are client-entered and reviewed by the practitioner.
What if a sensory option makes distress worse?
The record should preserve that reported information for practitioner review rather than hide or reinterpret it.
Is anything saved if there are no settings?
Yes. Saving adds the fixed Self-Soothing tool to the practitioner's account; fictional demo content is not saved as client data.