STOPP: making space to choose a response
Practise STOPP with a manageable situation: pause, breathe, notice your reaction, consider another view and choose an action that serves what matters to you.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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STOPP: making space to choose a response
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S — Stop: interrupt the next action
When you catch the urge to react, leave the next action unfinished for a moment. You might take your hand off the keyboard before sending a message. If you are in danger, move towards safety and seek help rather than staying to practise.
This resource draws on STOPP as presented by Carol Vivyan at Get Self Help: https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/stopp/.
T — Take a breath: make a little space
Bring attention to one comfortable breath. Let it leave gently, taking a little longer to breathe out if that feels easy. Repeat if useful, without forcing the breath. If focusing on breathing feels worse, pause the exercise and use a grounding approach agreed with your therapist.
O — Observe: name your reaction
Describe the reaction as something you are noticing: a thought, an emotion, a body sensation and an impulse to act. For example: “I am thinking I have been excluded; I feel hurt; my stomach is tense; I want to walk out.” You do not have to decide what to do with it yet.
P — Pull back: allow another view
Separate the event you can confirm from the meaning you first gave it. Consider information you may be missing and how the surrounding circumstances could affect your view. Try writing a second possible explanation that takes your feelings seriously without treating the first interpretation as certain.
P — Practise what works: choose the next action
Consider the likely effect of the next action on you, other people and what matters to you. Select a manageable response you can stand by later. This might be a clear question, asking for support or choosing a suitable time to return to the conversation.
Try STOPP with a manageable example
Choose a recent event or a situation you expect to face. Work through the sequence and record what you notice. The ratings help you review practice; feeling calmer is not the only useful outcome.
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When to use ‘STOPP: making space to choose a response’
‘STOPP: making space to choose a response’ is an interactive dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) worksheet. Consider this resource when exploring how a client responds to intense emotions, distress or relationship difficulties, and where acceptance or a change in response might fit.
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 5 minutes. It moves through six short steps:
- S — Stop: interrupt the next action: When you catch the urge to react, leave the next action unfinished for a moment. You might take your hand off the keyboard before sending a…
- T — Take a breath: make a little space: Bring attention to one comfortable breath. Let it leave gently, taking a little longer to breathe out if that feels easy. Repeat if useful,…
- O — Observe: name your reaction: Describe the reaction as something you are noticing: a thought, an emotion, a body sensation and an impulse to act. For example: “I am…
- P — Pull back: allow another view: Separate the event you can confirm from the meaning you first gave it. Consider information you may be missing and how the surrounding…
- P — Practise what works: choose the next action: Consider the likely effect of the next action on you, other people and what matters to you. Select a manageable response you can stand by…
- Try STOPP with a manageable example: Choose a recent event or a situation you expect to face. Work through the sequence and record what you notice. The ratings help you review…
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 DBT approach behind it
‘STOPP: making space to choose a response’ draws on dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). DBT brings acceptance and change together: recognising an experience as it is while considering a different response. Its skills include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. These offer ways to notice what is happening, stay with difficult moments, understand emotions and communicate needs. The therapist and client can consider which skills fit the situation.
It is intended as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis. The therapist can help decide how it fits the work and discuss what emerges.
Evidence & sources
This worksheet draws on dialectical behaviour therapy. Key sources include:
- Vivyan, C. (2026). STOPP. Get Self Help. Undated web resource; year denotes access on 15 October 2026. https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/stopp/.
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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