Find a Therapist Client Login
Therapist? Log in
DBT Skills · Mindfulness

Observe

When you need to anchor to what's actually here. It’s one of the DBT mindfulness skills, and the skills picker can route a client here in the moment.

Not sure this is the right skill?

The free DBT skills picker asks what’s happening right now and routes to a skill to try.

Open the skills picker

When to reach for Observe

When you need to anchor to what's actually here.

How to practice Observe

  1. Pick one thing — a wall, your hand, a sound, the floor under your feet.
  2. Look at it (or feel it, or hear it) without naming it yet.
  3. Notice texture, weight, color, edges. Don't analyze. Don't compare.
  4. When your mind labels or judges, gently return to the thing.
If it doesn’t help: the DBT skills picker routes next to Describe. Different skills land for different people and moments — trying the next-best fit is part of the method, not a failure.

Tracking Observe on a diary card

Whether a client used Observe — and whether it helped — is exactly what a DBT diary card captures. Recording skill use day by day is how you see, in session, whether mindfulness skills are generalizing.

Track skill use for free

Build a custom diary card that tracks the skills you’re working on, or track it digitally in Theracharts.

Build a diary cardAll DBT skills

FAQ

What is Observe in DBT?

Observe is a DBT mindfulness skill. When you need to anchor to what's actually here.

When should I use Observe?

Reach for observe when you need to anchor to what's actually here.

In crisis? Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, US) — free, confidential, 24/7. This page is educational and is not therapy, diagnosis, or a substitute for professional care.