top of page

Empower Your Healing Journey

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Depression offers a powerful guide to help individuals effectively manage and overcome depressive symptoms. Each chapter in this vital workbook is thoughtfully crafted to provide practical and empowering strategies for healing.

By integrating research-supported methods with real-life applications, this book aims to equip you with the skills necessary to face life's challenges with strength and a renewed sense of purpose. Rediscover hope and unlock your potential today!

Powerful and Proven-Effective Skills to Manage Depression

Discover the transformative and proven-effective skills in our book to help you manage emotions, move beyond feelings of hopelessness, feel more connected, and thrive. This vital workbook will help you find hope, rediscover your purpose, and improve your overall well-being, one step at a time.  
 
From a compassion focused lens, this workbook will take you through strategies to better support yourself - body, mind, and spirit - while learning how to better manage and reduce symptoms caused by depression.
 
This workbook addresses the core skills
associated with DBT: 
​
  • Mindfulness
  • Distress Tolerance 
  • Emotional Regulation
  • Interpersonal Effectiveness​​
​
DBT Skills for Depression Workbook
It also includes:
​
  • Self-assessments regarding how depression is impacting different areas of your life, and to remind you of the person you are separate from your illness.​
​
  • Strategies to develop self-compassion in your thoughts and behaviours.
 
  • Concepts of Polyvagal Theory - to increase understanding of your nervous system, and identify strategies that work for you to physically reduce distress and help you to more effectively manage your illness.
 
  • The concept of Wise Self  (i.e., the wisest most compassionate part of you, your inner wisdom, higher self or spirit) with the goal of creating access to this valuable part of yourself that can offer safety, guidance, compassion and support - 24/7.​
 
  • An introduction to the Window of Tolerance, to help you conceptualize what it means - physically, emotionally, and cognitively - to be inside, on the edge, or outside of your Window.  You will also be guided in identifying practical steps/strategies to get back into your Window more quickly when experiencing a crisis.​​​​​
​
  • Radical Acceptance - to help you to accept the areas of life you have no control over, while helping you to identify and leverage the areas you do have influence over, to make healthy changes that support your wellbing.

About the Author

Shirley Porter, MEd, is a Registered Psychotherapist and founder and Clinical Director of Shirley Porter and Associates Psychotherapy Clinic. Her experience includes more than thirty years as a psychotherapist working with adults suffering from depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, grief, relationship issues, and suicidality. Shirley is a former Adjunct Clinical Professor in the graduate Counselling Psychology program at Western University in London, Canada.  She is author of two published books on trauma, as well as several research articles. She is also a contributing writer of mental health articles for Choosingtherapy.com,and has more than twenty years' experience as a clinical supervisor/consultant to other therapists.
Author and psychotherapist Shirley Porter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

Meet the Team

This is your Team section. Briefly introduce the team then add their bios below. Click here to edit.

The part of you that holds on to hope and believes that you can learn to manage your depression is the part that motivated you to find this website. This is an important step.  

Depending where you are in the world, the mental health professionals in your area might require certifcation or licensing in order to practice.  They might also operate under legally protected titles such as: therapist, psychotherapist, social worker, psychologist.  Your medical doctor, a local mental health center, or hospital might be able to refer you to a reputable practitioner.  In some areas,                            is available to provide information on local practitioners.  Once you find out the titles of professionals who operate in your area, you would look for those who offer DBT and specialize in depression.  

If you would like to work with a professional therapist in learning how to use DBT skills to manage your depression and reduce distress - and you are located Canada*- the therapists of                                                                   would be honored to work with you.                   and                    are currently accepting clients. They have been trained in the DBT concepts and interventions used in this book and receive regular clinical supervision with Shirley.

*limited to residents of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon, or NWT due to licensing practice regulations.

Finding a Therapist

bottom of page