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In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), the Cope Ahead skill is an emotion regulation strategy that helps you prepare for stressful, triggering, or high-stakes situations before they happen. At its core, Cope Ahead is structured mental rehearsal: you imagine the upcoming event in detail, anticipate your emotional reactions, and practice responding skillfully using DBT tools rather than acting on impulse (Linehan, 2015a; Linehan & Wilks, 2015).
Cope Ahead is taught in the emotion regulation module, alongside Build Mastery and ABC PLEASE, as part of DBT’s approach to reducing vulnerability and increasing skillful behavior in difficult situations (Linehan, 2015a).
What Is the Cope Ahead Skill?
DBT handouts describe Cope Ahead like this:
Feeling competent and adequately prepared for difficult situations reduces vulnerability to Emotion Mind and increases skillful behavior (Linehan, 2015a, p. 256).
In practice, Cope Ahead means you:
Pick a specific upcoming situation that’s likely to stir up strong emotions (exam, conflict, holiday, performance, medical procedure).
Clarify what you want to do and which DBT skills you want to use.
Imagine the situation in detail, including sights, sounds, and feelings.
Mentally rehearse coping effectively—what you’ll do, say, and tell yourself.
Rehearse handling potential hurdles or setbacks.
DBT tools sites and clinical resources summarize Cope Ahead as “preparing in advance and rehearsing how you’ll use your skills to manage future challenges” (DBT.tools, n.d.; DialecticalBehaviorTherapy.com, n.d.; Counseling Center Group, 2024).
Why Does Cope Ahead Work?
Cope Ahead is essentially imaginal rehearsal plus implementation planning, both of which have strong roots in cognitive-behavioral therapy:
Imaginal rehearsal: Practicing in your mind can increase perceived control, reduce anxiety, and make it easier to access coping strategies under real pressure (Linehan & Wilks, 2015).
Implementation intentions (“If X happens, then I’ll do Y”): These “if–then” plans make it more likely you’ll carry out your chosen response when cues appear in real life.
Within DBT, Cope Ahead is part of the broader emotion regulation skill set, which has shown benefits across diagnoses: DBT-based emotion regulation programs reduce emotional reactivity, problem behavior, and distress in conditions like borderline personality disorder, mood disorders, and transdiagnostic emotion dysregulation (Fassbinder et al., 2016; Liu et al., 2024).
Studies of DBT skills training, including modules that teach accumulate positive emotions, build mastery, and cope ahead, report improvements in emotion dysregulation and related outcomes in various populations (Neacsiu et al., 2010, as cited in Linehan & Wilks, 2015; Wilks et al., 2018).
More practically, recent psychoeducational work shows that when students and clients use Cope Ahead to rehearse for exams, presentations, or difficult conversations, they report feeling more prepared, less overwhelmed, and more confident (Mantra Health, 2024; DBT Center South Bay, 2025).
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
"It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit."
When Should You Use Cope Ahead?
Cope Ahead is most helpful whenever you:
Know a challenging situation is coming, and
Expect intense emotions (anxiety, anger, shame, grief, urges to use substances or self-harm).
Common examples:
Academic / work: Exams, presentations, performance reviews, job interviews.
Interpersonal: Difficult conversations with a partner, family gathering with known conflicts, setting boundaries with a boss or friend.
Health & treatment: Medical or dental procedures, therapy sessions on painful topics, group treatment you’re anxious about.
Triggers & anniversaries: Holidays, trauma anniversaries, or seasons that historically come with high stress.
Cope Ahead is not about catastrophizing in advance; it’s about planned problem-solving and skill rehearsal so the future is less overwhelming and more navigable (DialecticalBehaviorTherapy.com, n.d.; DBT of South Jersey, 2025).
The Cope Ahead Steps (DBT Version)
These steps are adapted from Emotion Regulation Handout 19: Build Mastery and Cope Ahead in Linehan’s skills training materials and from widely used Cope Ahead worksheets.
Describe the Situation Clearly
Write or think through:
When and where will this happen?
Who will be there?
What exactly do you expect (facts, not worst-case fantasies)?
Be specific: “Job interview next Tuesday at 10 a.m. with two interviewers, in a conference room at X company,” not just “scary interview.”
Also note:
What emotions you expect (e.g., anxiety, shame, anger).
Any unhelpful coping you’ve used in the past that you want to avoid (e.g., cancelling, yelling, drinking, shutting down).
Clarify Your Goals & Values
Ask yourself:
What do I want out of this situation, realistically?
To get through the exam using my best effort.
To express my needs without insulting anyone.
To stay sober at the party.
Linking Cope Ahead to your values (e.g., honesty, growth, self-respect) helps you stay oriented toward what matters instead of just “not freaking out.”
Choose Your DBT Skills and Coping Strategies
Now decide how you want to cope:
Emotion regulation skills: TIPP, Opposite Action, Check the Facts, ABC PLEASE.
Distress tolerance: Self-soothe, IMPROVE the moment, distraction.
Interpersonal effectiveness: DEAR MAN, GIVE, FAST, boundary statements.
For example, before a family gathering:
Use Check the Facts on “They’re going to attack me” vs. “They might bring up politics.”
Plan Opposite Action to anger (lower your voice, exit the room if needed).
Prepare a DEAR MAN script if you need to leave early or decline certain conversations.
You can write this as “if–then” plans:
If my uncle starts pushing political arguments, then I’ll say, “I don’t want to get into politics at dinner—let’s talk about something else,” and if it continues, I’ll step outside for a break.
Imagine the Situation in Detail
Now, play the scene in your mind like a movie:
Picture yourself entering the room, hearing sounds, seeing faces.
Notice your body sensations (racing heart, tight chest, shaky hands).
Let the feared moment actually happen in your imagination: the question, the comment, the trigger.
This may temporarily increase anxiety, but that’s expected; you’re training your brain to recognize the cues and still access your skills (Linehan & Wilks, 2015; Wilks et al., 2018).
Rehearse Coping Effectively
In your mental “movie,” now rehearse your chosen skills:
How you act (posture, pace, where you sit or stand).
What you say and how you say it (tone, pace, volume).
What you tell yourself internally (validating self-talk, coping statements).
Examples:
Before an exam:
Imagine sitting down, noticing anxiety, and practicing paced breathing.
Picture yourself reading each question slowly and using coping phrases like “One question at a time.”
Before a difficult talk:
Visualize saying your DEAR MAN script calmly.
Imagine pausing when you feel triggered and asking for a short break instead of exploding.
You can also role-play out loud with a trusted person or therapist, which is often recommended in Cope Ahead worksheets and DBT groups.
Rehearse Handling Obstacles
Good Cope Ahead doesn’t assume everything goes smoothly. Ask:
What’s the worst likely thing that could happen in this situation?
If that happens, how will I respond skillfully?
Then run that version of the scene:
The other person gets defensive → you practice staying calm, validating one true piece of what they say, and restating your boundary.
Your mind goes blank in a presentation → you practice pausing, taking a breath, and reading from a backup note card.
This teaches your nervous system: “Even if something goes wrong, I still have options.”
Pair It with Relaxation
DBT handouts often suggest using a calming skill after the imagery, such as paced breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or mindfulness of breath (Linehan, 2015a; Eym Therapy Cope Ahead worksheet).
This reinforces the association:
Future stressor → skills → I can feel calmer and more capable.
Brief Case Snapshot: Cope Ahead for a Holiday Visit
“Rachel” finds that going home for Thanksgiving tends to be emotionally rough. Her family often drifts into heated political arguments, and she has previously ended up shouting, crying, and saying things she regrets.
Using Cope Ahead, Rachel:
Describes the situation: extended family, holiday dinner, likely political topics, past pattern of escalating arguments.
Clarifies goals: stay out of circular arguments, maintain self-respect, and leave the evening without blow-ups.
Chooses skills:
Check the Facts on “They’re trying to ruin my night” vs. “They like to debate.”
Interpersonal skills to redirect (“Let’s change the topic”) or exit (“I’m going to step outside for a bit”).
Self-soothing in the bathroom (cold water on face, paced breathing).
Rehearses the evening in her mind, including someone making a provocative comment—and herself calmly opting out.
Practices with friends role-playing family members, to make the skills feel more automatic. Contentful+1
At the actual dinner, Rachel still feels waves of anger and hurt, but she recognizes the moment from her rehearsal, uses her planned lines, and steps away when needed. Later, she reports feeling tired but proud rather than ashamed and out of control.
Other Emotional Regulation DBT Skills you can Learn Now
How Cope Ahead Fits With Other DBT Skills
Cope Ahead isn’t meant to replace other skills; it supercharges them:
With ABC PLEASE, you’re already reducing vulnerability in your daily life; Cope Ahead adds situation-specific preparation.
With Build Mastery, you can treat Cope Ahead practice itself as a mastery task when you repeatedly rehearse doing something hard.
With Opposite Action, you can rehearse acting opposite to fear or shame in the imagined scene (e.g., speaking up instead of avoiding).
With Interpersonal effectiveness, you can write DEAR MAN scripts and then Cope Ahead by practicing them out loud before real conversations (Kaiser Permanente, 2020).
Clinically, Cope Ahead has been included in DBT skills protocols for populations such as borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, and student populations, as part of broader skills packages that show promising feasibility and symptom reduction (Wilks et al., 2018; Azevedo et al., 2024; Mantra Health, 2024).
Conclusion
The Cope Ahead skill in DBT gives you a way to move from dreading the future to practicing for it. By describing challenging situations clearly, choosing your DBT skills in advance, and mentally rehearsing your responses (including how you’ll handle setbacks), you train your brain to recognize emotional triggers and respond skillfully instead of automatically.
You won’t eliminate anxiety, anger, or shame—those emotions still show up. But with Cope Ahead, they’re less likely to blindside you, and more likely to be moments where you can say, “I’ve prepared for this. I know what to do.” Over time, that sense of preparedness becomes its own form of resilience, strengthening your confidence in your ability to face life’s hard moments with intention rather than panic.
FAQ
Most frequent questions and answers about the Cope Ahead Skill in DBT
Not quite. Worry and rumination usually mean replaying scary futures without a plan, which increases anxiety. Cope Ahead is structured and intentional: you briefly imagine a specific situation, pick which DBT skills you’ll use, rehearse them, and then stop. The focus is on how you will cope, not on everything that could go wrong.
Use Cope Ahead when you can see a stressful situation coming (an exam, hard conversation, family event, performance). You’re not in crisis yet; you’re preparing so you’re less likely to hit a crisis state. Use TIPP and other crisis skills when you’re already very dysregulated (emotion intensity 8–10/10) and need to bring your arousal down in the moment. They work together: Cope Ahead reduces the chances you’ll need crisis skills, but if you do, you’ve already rehearsed them.
It’s common for anxiety to spike a bit during Cope Ahead, because you’re deliberately thinking about something uncomfortable. The key is to pair the imagery with skills practice and calming techniques (like paced breathing or self-soothing afterward). If the distress feels overwhelming, shorten the visualization, focus on one part of the situation at a time, or practice Cope Ahead with a therapist so you’re not doing it alone.
You don’t need to do Cope Ahead every day. Use it whenever you have a known challenge coming up—for example, the day before (or a few days before) an exam, meeting, or difficult talk. A single run-through can take just 5–15 minutes: describe the situation, choose skills, imagine it, rehearse your responses, and then use a brief relaxation exercise. Repeating it once or twice before the event can make the skills feel more “automatic” when you need them.
You can absolutely use Cope Ahead as a stand-alone self-help tool—it’s especially useful for performance anxiety, social situations, and conflict. That said, it’s most powerful when combined with other DBT skills (like ABC PLEASE, Build Mastery, TIPP, Opposite Action, and interpersonal effectiveness), because you’re rehearsing those skills inside your Cope Ahead plan. If you’re dealing with intense or chronic emotion dysregulation, working with a DBT-informed therapist or group can help you tailor Cope Ahead to your specific triggers and history.
DBT Cope Ahead Skill Book Recommendations
Here is a collection of the best books on the market related to DBT Cope Ahead Skill:
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References
- Azevedo, J., et al. (2024). BI-REAL: A 12-session DBT skills group intervention adapted for bipolar disorder – A feasibility randomised pilot trial. Journal of Affective Disorders.
- Counseling Center Group. (2024, March 17). DBT Cope Ahead – Mastering future challenges. CounselingCenterGroup.com.
- DBT Center South Bay. (2025, October 7). Coping ahead: The DBT skill that helps prepare for stress. DBTCenterSouthBay.com.
- DBT of South Jersey. (2025). Coping ahead: Preparing for emotional challenges before they happen. DBTofSouthJersey.com.
- DBT.tools. (n.d.). Cope Ahead skill – Emotional regulation. DBT.tools.
- DialecticalBehaviorTherapy.com. (n.d.). Coping ahead: DBT skills, worksheets, videos, exercises. DialecticalBehaviorTherapy.com.
- Eym Therapy. (n.d.). Cope ahead – Worksheet. (Handout based on Linehan’s DBT materials).
- Fassbinder, E., Schweiger, U., Martius, D., Brand-de Wilde, O., & Arntz, A. (2016). Emotion regulation in schema therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1373.
- Kaiser Permanente. (2020). Interpersonal effectiveness DBT skills [Patient handout]. KaiserPermanente.org.
- Linehan, M. M. (2015a). DBT® skills training handouts and worksheets (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Linehan, M. M. (2015b). DBT® skills training manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Linehan, M. M., & Wilks, C. R. (2015). The course and evolution of dialectical behavior therapy. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 69(2), 97–110.
- Mantra Health. (2024, October 23). Help students build strong emotion regulation skills. MantraHealth.com.
- Neacsiu, A. D., Rizvi, S. L., & Linehan, M. M. (2010). Dialectical behavior therapy skills use as a mediator and outcome of treatment. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48(9), 832–839. (Discussion summarized in Linehan & Wilks, 2015).
- Wilks, C. R., Lungu, A., Ang, S. Y., Matsumiya, B., Yin, Q., & Linehan, M. M. (2018). A randomized controlled trial of an Internet-delivered dialectical behavior therapy skills training for suicidal and heavy episodic drinkers. Journal of Affective Disorders, 232, 219–228
