Cope Ahead Skill

Definition

Cope Ahead is an Emotion Regulation skill in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) that involves mentally rehearsing how you will cope with a future difficult situation. It’s a form of proactive problem-solving and visualization.

Purpose

Used to:

Prepare for challenging events or emotions in advance.
Increase confidence that you can handle distress.
Reduce anxiety and avoidance.
Develop a clear plan for effective coping.

When to Use

Use Cope Ahead when:

You know you will face a stressful situation (e.g., a confrontation, public speaking, an anniversary of a trauma).
You anticipate powerful emotions like anger, shame, sadness, or fear.
You want to practice responding skillfully.

When Not to Use

Avoid using if:

You’re currently in crisis (use crisis survival skills instead).
You feel highly dissociative and visualization increases distress.
You are prone to excessive rumination and the rehearsal fuels anxiety without solution.

How-To

Identify the Situation:
- Be specific about what will happen and why it might be difficult.
Describe the Emotions:
- What emotions are likely to come up?
Plan Skillful Coping:
- Choose which DBT skills you will use (e.g., Wise Mind, Opposite Action, Self-Soothing).
Visualize the Scenario:
- Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the situation.
- Picture handling it effectively from start to finish.
Rehearse Coping:
- In your mind, walk through each step of using your skills.
- Imagine managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors successfully.
Plan Aftercare:
- Decide what you will do to support yourself afterward.
Repeat:
- Practice visualization regularly until you feel confident.

Tips & Variations

Write down your plan to make it more concrete.
Pair with deep breathing to lower anticipatory anxiety.
If visualization feels too intense, start with imagining just part of the situation.
Combine with PLEASE skills (taking care of your body) for better emotional regulation.

Example

Maria was worried about a job interview.

Situation: Interview with potential employer.
Emotions: Anxiety, self-doubt.
Skills: Deep breathing, self-validation, Wise Mind.
Visualization: Imagined greeting the interviewer, answering questions calmly, and thanking them.
Aftercare: Planned a relaxing walk afterward.

Inventor / Origin

Developed by Marsha Linehan, PhD, as part of the Emotion Regulation module in Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

Related Skills

Check the Facts
Opposite Action
Mindfulness
Radical Acceptance

Limitations

May not be effective if:

You don’t follow up with action.
You only focus on worst-case scenarios.
You avoid doing the actual practice.

Evidence Base

Research shows:

Imagery rehearsal helps reduce anxiety and improve performance.
Coping ahead increases perceived self-efficacy.
Visualization can lower the intensity of emotional reactivity.

References

Linehan, M.M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Manual, Second Edition. Guilford Press.
Davis, M., Eshelman, E.R., & McKay, M. (2008). The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook. New Harbinger Publications.
Leahy, R.L. (2015). Emotional Schema Therapy. Guilford Press.

Cope Ahead – Emotion Regulation DBT Tool