IMPROVE the Moment
A DBT skill card. When you cannot fix a painful situation right now, IMPROVE the moment makes it more bearable. Seven simple ways to get through a hard moment without making things worse. Pick the ones that help you.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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IMPROVE the Moment
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What it is
Some moments are painful and cannot be changed right away. IMPROVE the Moment is a set of seven small ways to make such a moment easier to bear, so you can get through it without doing something that makes things worse. IMPROVE is just a way to remember them, each letter standing for one skill.
When to use it
Use these when you are in a lot of distress, the situation cannot be fixed in this moment, and you just need to get through the next stretch of time safely. You can use one skill or several together, whatever helps.
The seven IMPROVE skills
Here is what each letter stands for. Tick the ones you want to try.
Plan your moment
Pick one or two skills you ticked above and plan exactly how you will use them next time a hard moment hits. Being specific makes it easier to actually do.
Did it help?
Optional. After using your plan, rate how much more bearable the moment felt.
Try it here — nothing you type is saved. Sign up to assign it and let clients complete it on any device.
When to use ‘IMPROVE the Moment’
‘IMPROVE the Moment’ is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet. As a core CBT skill it is used right across the model, with presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and low self-esteem, rather than being tied to a single diagnosis.
It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device — or download it as a print-ready PDF.
How it works
Most people work through it in around 10 minutes. It moves through five short steps:
- What it is — Some moments are painful and cannot be changed right away. IMPROVE the Moment is a set of seven small ways to make such a moment easier to…
- When to use it — Use these when you are in a lot of distress, the situation cannot be fixed in this moment, and you just need to get through the next…
- The seven IMPROVE skills — Here is what each letter stands for. Tick the ones you want to try.
- Plan your moment — Pick one or two skills you ticked above and plan exactly how you will use them next time a hard moment hits. Being specific makes it easier…
- Did it help? — Optional. After using your plan, rate how much more bearable the moment felt.
Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.
The CBT approach behind it
In common with other CBT methods, ‘IMPROVE the Moment’ works by noticing the links between situations, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and behaviour — and finding practical ways to change unhelpful patterns. The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going — and practical, testable ways to change it.
Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.
Evidence & sources
This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:
- Linehan, M.M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
- Linehan, M.M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. New York: Guilford Press.
For use alongside professional support
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
- Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- SANEline: 0800 689 5555 — 4:30pm–10:30pm, every day
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