What is the purpose of diary cards in DBT?

• A. To track daily emotions, urges, behaviors, and skills used to inform treatment and target changes
• B. To schedule therapy sessions
• C. To record phone coaching calls
• D. To measure therapist performance

Answer: (A)

In DBT, the diary card is a daily self-monitoring tool that captures what you’re feeling, what urges come up, what behaviors you engage in, and which skills you use. The main purpose is to inform treatment and guide changes in your plan. By recording emotions, urges, and actions, you and your therapist can spot patterns, triggers, and progress over time. This helps identify which skills are effective, where you’re slipping into old behaviors, and when mood shifts or urges are strongest, so the treatment can be adjusted to target those areas. Diary cards also encourage mindfulness and self-reflection, making the data a practical basis for coaching and therapy sessions.

Scheduling therapy sessions, recording phone coaching calls, or measuring therapist performance aren’t the purpose of diary cards; those functions are handled by other processes and logs.