Describe-DBT Mindfulness WHAT skill

Clinically Reviewed by: Mary Carlough, LCSW-C, Intensively Trained DBT Therapist, Licensed Clinician at The Counseling Center Group

Most people spend more time reacting to a feeling than naming it. A tight chest becomes “I’m freaking out,” a quiet room becomes “everyone’s mad at me,” and the gap between what actually happened and the story layered on top of it disappears. At The Counseling Center Group, we believe that gap is where a lot of unnecessary suffering lives, and it can be closed with a specific, learnable skill.

The Describe skill is one of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)‘s three mindfulness WHAT skills, alongside Observe and Participate. It is the practice of putting words to what you notice, thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, using only factual, verifiable language instead of judgment or interpretation. Therapists at the Counseling Center Group teach this skill to help clients separate what actually happened from the story they tell themselves about it.

This guide explains what the Describe skill is, how it fits with the other DBT mindfulness WHAT skills, how to practice it, and how our therapists teach it as part of individual DBT-informed therapy and DBT skills groups.

What Is the Describe Skill in DBT Mindfulness?

The Describe DBT Mindfulness skill is the practice of labeling your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in factual, non-judgmental language instead of interpreting or reacting to them. It requires sticking to what you can verify. Examples include: “my heart is racing” rather than “I’m having a heart attack,” or “she didn’t text back” rather than “she’s ignoring me.”

Describe is one of three DBT mindfulness WHAT skills developed from the clinical work of psychologist Marsha Linehan, alongside Observe and Participate. Each WHAT skill answers a different question: what to pay attention to (Observe), what to do with it once you notice it (Describe), and how to fully engage once you understand it (Participate). Describe sits in the middle: it takes a raw observation and turns it into language precise enough to act on.

DBT’s mindfulness skills, including Describe, are documented as a core, evidence-based component of Dialectical Behavior Therapy by the Linehan Institute and the American Psychological Association’s Society of Clinical Psychology. The Counseling Center Group therapists teach Describe as a foundation skill because putting accurate language to an experience is often the first step in regulating it.

How Describe Fits With the Other DBT Mindfulness WHAT Skills

The table below summarizes all three WHAT skills. Describe is explained in more detail throughout the rest of this page.

WHAT Skill	What It Involves	Best For
Observe	Noticing thoughts, feelings, and sensations as they arise, without pushing them away or grabbing onto them.	Building the initial awareness that Describe and Participate both depend on.
Describe	Putting factual, non-judgmental words to what you observed, separating the event from the interpretation.	Turning a raw reaction into language precise enough to act on or communicate to someone else.
Participate	Fully engaging in the current activity or moment, without self-consciousness or a divided mind.	Clients who already understand a moment and are ready to act on it, rather than analyze it further.

How Do You Practice the Describe Skill?

The Describe skill is practiced by pausing after you notice a reaction, then naming the specific thought, emotion, or sensation using only verifiable, factual language. Four practices build this skill fastest: labeling in the moment, separating fact from interpretation, mindfulness journaling, and describing out loud to another person.

Labeling in the moment is best for clients who react quickly and want to slow down before responding. Pause, name what you notice (“my jaw is tight,” “I feel embarrassed”), and hold off on interpreting it until the description is complete.
Separating fact from interpretation is best for clients whose reactions tend to spiral, since it isolates the verifiable event from the story layered on top of it. Compare “he raised his voice” (fact) with “he hates me” (interpretation).
Mindfulness journaling is best for clients who want a low-pressure way to build the skill outside of a triggering moment. Write down one experience a day using only factual, descriptive language.
Describing out loud to another person is best for clients working on interpersonal effectiveness alongside mindfulness, since it practices Describe and clear communication at the same time.

What Are the Benefits of the Describe Skill?

The Describe skill strengthens four specific areas of emotional functioning: clarity, emotional regulation, self-awareness, and communication. Each benefit compounds as factual labeling becomes a more automatic first response, and most clients notice calmer reactions and clearer conversations within the first few weeks of consistent practice.

Greater Clarity: Separating fact from interpretation reduces distorted thinking and makes a situation easier to problem-solve.
Improved Emotional Regulation: Naming an emotion accurately, rather than reacting to an amplified version of it, reduces its intensity.
Increased Self-Awareness: Regular practice builds a clearer, more consistent vocabulary for internal experience over time.
Stronger Communication: Factual, non-judgmental language is easier for other people to hear and respond to than judgment-loaded language.

How The Counseling Center Group Teaches the Describe Skill

The Counseling Center Group teaches the Describe skill through individual DBT-informed therapy and structured DBT skills groups, delivered by therapists trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy across Maryland, DC, and Virginia. Both formats build the same WHAT-skills foundation, applied to a client’s specific patterns and goals.

The Counseling Center Group invests in DBT mindfulness skills because we believe accurate self-observation is a prerequisite for change, not a side effect of it. A client cannot regulate a reaction they cannot yet name. Describe closes that gap by giving clients a repeatable, factual vocabulary they can use the same day they learn it.

Individual DBT-informed therapy is best for clients who want the Describe skill built directly into work on a specific pattern, relationship, or emotional regulation goal.
DBT skills groups are best for clients who want structured, repeatable practice in mindfulness alongside distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, across The Counseling Center Group’s four core DBT modules.

The cognitive shift is immediate with my clients when they begin using the Describe skill. There is an awareness of how frequently they engage in judgemental thinking and an understanding of the benefits to a more fact-based assessment of what is going on. Clients I’ve worked with often notice a decrease in negative arousal as well as an increase in feeling more hopeful.

– Mary Carlough, LCSW-C, Intensively Trained DBT Therapist, Counseling Center Group

Describe Skill FAQs

What is the difference between Observe, Describe, and Participate in DBT mindfulness?

Observe is noticing a thought, feeling, or sensation without reacting to it. Describe is putting factual, non-judgmental words to what you noticed. Participate is fully engaging in the moment once you understand it. The three build on each other in that order.

Is the Describe skill the same as journaling?

No. Journaling is one practice method for building the Describe skill, but Describe itself is the underlying skill of labeling experience factually, whether you practice it on paper, out loud, or silently in the moment.

How long does it take to build the Describe skill?

Most people notice early changes within a few weeks of consistent daily practice, since Describe is a practiced skill rather than an instant shift. Building it into an automatic response typically takes longer and depends on how intense the underlying emotional patterns are.

Do I need a therapist to learn DBT mindfulness skills?

Self-practice using labeling and journaling is a reasonable starting point for mild difficulty separating fact from interpretation. A licensed therapist is worth involving when reactive patterns affect daily functioning, relationships, or work. The Counseling Center Group offers a free 15-minute consultation to help determine the right level of support.

Where can I learn DBT skills like this in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area?

The Counseling Center Group offers individual DBT-informed therapy and DBT skills groups across its Maryland, DC, and Virginia locations, with therapists trained specifically in DBT mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.

What are DBT skills?

DBT skills are the specific, teachable techniques used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, grouped into four modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Describe belongs to the mindfulness module. The Counseling Center Group teaches all four modules through individual DBT-informed therapy and structured DBT skills groups.

Putting Words to Your Experience

At The Counseling Center Group, we believe learning to describe your experience accurately is not something to figure out alone. It is a skill you can build, one factual description at a time, with the right support. Whether you are just starting to notice your reactions or working to put clearer language to them, The Counseling Center Group therapists can help. If any of this resonates, we are here.

About the Reviewer

Mary Carlough, LCSW-C

Affiliated provider, Healing by Design, LLC Mary is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) with over 27 years of clinical experience. Mary works with clients struggling with life cycle transitions, ...

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