DBT Skills in Elementary Schools Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving in Grades K-5 (DBT STEPS-E)

by Mazza, James J.; Dexter-Mazza, Elizabeth T.; Rathus, Jill H.; Miller, Alec L.; Suldo, Shannon M.

• ISBN13: 9781462560202
• ISBN10: 1462560202
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2026-03-13
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

Packed with practical tools, this manual presents DBT STEPS-E, a comprehensive social–emotional learning (SEL) program grounded in the proven skills of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Two complete curricula are designed to integrate seamlessly into multi-tiered systems of support in grades K–2 and 3–5 classrooms. With a focus on prevention, DBT STEPS-E offers a nonclinical application for building emotion regulation, coping, interpersonal, and decision-making skills aligned with core SEL competencies. Detailed lesson plans are accompanied by teaching scripts, examples, and numerous “From the Field” vignettes. In a convenient large-size format, the volume includes a daily diary card to track skills use and 78 reproducible student handouts that also can be downloaded and printed.

See also the authors’ curriculum for grades 6–12: DBT Skills in Schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A)

This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by Sandra M. Chafouleas.

Author Biography

James J. Mazza, PhD, is Professor in the College of Education at the University of Washington, where he teaches and conducts research in the field of adolescent mental health. Dr. Mazza’s research focuses particularly on adolescent internalizing disorders, such as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, exposure to violence, and, especially, suicidal behavior. His work also examines the complex relationships among adolescent mental health issues, social–emotional abilities, and academic skills, and how to address these within multi-tiered systems of support. Dr. Mazza has written extensively on how to identify youth who are at risk for suicidal behavior, as well as on how to develop social–emotional learning curricula to help all students learn emotion regulation skills. A codeveloper of the DBT STEPS-A and DBT STEPS-E curricula, he provides consultation and training to school personnel internationally. Dr. Mazza is a cofounder of DBT in Schools.  

Elizabeth T. Dexter-Mazza, PsyD, President and cofounder of DBT in Schools, is a codeveloper of the DBT STEPS-A and DBT STEPS-E curricula. She provides training and consultation to schools, mental health agencies, and individuals around the world. Certified as a DBT therapist by the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Dr. Dexter-Mazza completed her postdoctoral fellowship under the direction of Marsha M. Linehan at the at the University of Washington. She served as Clinical Director and a research therapist for Dr. Linehan’s research studies, providing comprehensive DBT to clients. Dr. Dexter-Mazza has published many book chapters and peer-reviewed articles on DBT, borderline personality disorder, and graduate school training in managing suicidal clients.

Jill H. Rathus, PhD, is a former Professor of Psychology at Long Island University Post, where she directed the DBT Clinical Research Lab. She is also cofounder and co-director of Cognitive Behavioral Associates, a treatment and training center in Great Neck, New York. Dr. Rathus is coauthor of books including Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Suicidal Adolescents and DBT Skills Manual for Adolescents, and is a codeveloper of the DBT STEPS-A and DBT STEPS-E curricula for secondary and elementary school settings. She consults internationally, has trained thousands of mental health professionals in the United States and worldwide, and is widely published in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Rathus is a recipient of the Cindy Sanderson Outstanding Educator Award from the International Society for the Improvement and Training of DBT and serves as Co-Chair of the Treatment Integrity Committee of the World DBT Association.

Alec L. Miller, PsyD, is cofounder of Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants, a treatment, training, and consultation center in White Plains and Manhattan, New York; cofounder and Board Chair of the nonprofit Access Psychology Foundation; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York. Since the 1990s, Dr. Miller has adapted and applied DBT to youth in outpatient, inpatient, and school settings, as well as to youth who have chronic medical illnesses. His publications include over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, as well as the coauthored books Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Suicidal Adolescents and DBT Skills Manual for Adolescents and the DBT STEPS-A and DBT STEPS-E curricula for secondary and elementary school settings. Dr. Miller has trained thousands of clinicians and school personnel in DBT internationally.

Table of Contents

I. Overview of DBT STEPS-E
1. What Is DBT Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving in Elementary Schools (DBT
STEPS-E)?
2. Need for a Downward Extension to Elementary Grades
II. Implementation of DBT STEPS-E
3. Overview of the DBT STEPS-E Curricula: Skill Modules and Specific Skills
4. Implementation Issues, Adaptations, and the School Environment
5. Feedback from the Field
III. Lesson Plans and Handouts for Grades K–2
- Lesson 1. Orientation
- Lesson 2. Both Sides Thinking
- Lesson 3. “How-To” Guide for Both Sides Thinking
- Lesson 4. Understanding How Emotions Work
- Lesson 5. Mindfulness: Finding Wise Mind
- Lesson 6. Mindfulness: “What” Skills
- Lesson 7. Don’t Make It Worse: Introduction to Don’t Make It Worse Skills and SEA
- Lesson 8. Don’t Make It Worse: CAP Skills for Managing Strong Emotions
- Lesson 9. Emotion Regulation: Overview and Check the Facts
- Lesson 10. Emotion Regulation: Opposite Action to Change Emotions
- Lesson 11. Interpersonal Effectiveness: DEAR Skills (Objective Effectiveness)
- Lesson 12. Interpersonal Effectiveness: FACE Skills (Self-Respect Effectiveness)
Student Handouts and Activity Sheets for Grades K–2
IV. Lesson Plans and Handouts for Grades 3−5
DBT STEPS-E Skills Daily Diary Card
- Lesson 1. Orientation
- Lesson 2. Both Sides Thinking
- Lesson 3. “How To” Guide for Both Sides Thinking
- Lesson 4. Understanding How Emotions Work
- Lesson 5. Mindfulness: Finding Wise Mind
- Lesson 6. Mindfulness: “What” Skills
- Lesson 7. Mindfulness: “How” Skills
- Lesson 8. Distress Tolerance: Introduction to Distress Tolerance Skills and SEAT
- Lesson 9. Distress Tolerance: CAP Skills for Managing Strong Emotions
- Lesson 10. Distress Tolerance: Thinking of Pros and Cons
- Lesson 11. Emotion Regulation: Overview and Check the Facts
- Lesson 12. Emotion Regulation: Opposite Action to Change Emotions
- Lesson 13. Emotion Regulation: Wave Skill (Mindfulness of Current Emotion)
- Lesson 14. Interpersonal Effectiveness: DEAR Skills (Objective Effectiveness)
- Lesson 15. Interpersonal Effectiveness: GIVE Skills (Relationship Effectiveness)
- Lesson 16. Interpersonal Effectiveness: FACE Skills (Self-Respect Effectiveness)
Student Handouts and Activity Sheets for Grades 3–5
References
Index