Therapy | Coping Skills

Tools for the tough moments

Coping skills aren't just distractions; they are strategies to help you navigate overwhelm, panic, or distress so you can get back to feeling like yourself.

Washington State residents

Building your toolkit

When we are in "fight or flight," our rational brain goes offline. Having a practiced set of coping skills is like having a fire extinguisher: you hope you don't need it, but you're glad it's there when you do.

Effective coping skills help manage symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD in the moment, giving you the space to process the underlying issues later.

How we work with coping skills

We teach a variety of evidence-based techniques, helping you discover what works best for your nervous system.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique

A classic grounding exercise: Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste. This pulls you out of your head and into your body.
  • Grounding: Using the 5 senses to return to the present moment
  • Breathing: Box breathing and diaphragmatic breathing to calm the nervous system
  • Scaling: Rating your distress from 1-10 to track progress and choose the right tool
  • Distress Tolerance: TIPP skills (Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, Paired muscle relaxation)

Who this is for

This is helpful if you are:

  • Feeling easily overwhelmed or panicked
  • Struggling to "turn off" your brain at night
  • Needing practical tools to manage stress at work or school
  • Recovering from trauma and dealing with triggers
Next step

Build your resilience

Let's fill your toolkit with strategies that actually work for you.