In this much-needed guide, two dialectical behavior therapists offer an activity-based workbook for kids who struggle with anger, mood-swings, and emotional and behavioral dysregulation. Using the skills outlined in this book, kids will be able to manage their emotions, get along with others, and do better in school.



Many of us know the helpless predicament of losing control of our emotions. We may not be clinically "crazy" but instead "high reactors," experiencing overpowering feelings that knock us off balance, plunge us into depression, make us fly off the handle, or terrify us without warning. We can anticipate, understand, avoid and replace these "high reactions" by applying the methods of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT is an eclectic mix of cognitive-behavioral techniques, skills training, Zen, and existentialism, that has been honed for the treatment of the highest reactors among us--those with Borderline Personality Disorder. Author Scott Spradlin uses proven DBT techniques, worksheets and assessment exercises, to teach us to pay attention to emotions when they arise, assess our blocks to controlling them, and finally overcome these blocks and eliminate overpowering feelings. We learn what emotional triggers exist in our environments, become less judgmental about ourselves when we do experience a surge, and avoid or reduce the distress that emotions cause us. This workbook ultimately equips us to reduce the impact of painful feelings and increase the effects of positive ones so that we may tolerate life's ongoing stresses and achieve a sense of calm co-existence with our emotions.