The Decider Skills are based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for which there is a wealth of evidence to support their efficacy at treating mental health problems.

In order to make the skills more memorable and therefore more effective, each skill has been simplified, with a visual prompt, and each skill is taught in a fun and engaging style, including demonstrations and music.

The emphasis is on helping service users to deal with impulsive behaviours such as self harm, avoidance, withdrawal and isolation, aggression, substance misuse and binge eating. These behaviours are often associated with anxiety, depression, anger, addictions, eating disorders and personality disorders and can have devastating consequences.

The Decider summarises thirty-two cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) informed skills under four core skill sets; the acceptance skills of distress tolerance and mindfulness and the change skills of emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. The manual provides a client handout and a detailed explanation for the clinician for each skill. The Decider has the potential to be adapted for a range of service settings; adult mental health, child and adolescent, learning disability, substance misuse, prisons.