For immediate guidance on using the Decider Skills for you or your loved one's current mental health, visit our help page.
Why The Decider Skills Work for Self Help
The key to good mental health is similar to good physical health: monitoring and management. We can learn to recognise and monitor our own thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and then use skills to manage ourselves and make effective changes as required. This practical approach makes the skills accessible for beginners and highly effective for ongoing self‑management.
You can study The Decider Skills for Self Help (12 or 32 skills) in your own time, at any time - about 4 or 10 hours of study at your own pace.
The Decider Skills are a stand-alone intervention to enable you to make positive changes in your life.
They will also give you a firm foundation if you decide to start individual therapy. The Decider Skills complement all therapy approaches. This makes the courses ideal for anyone seeking structured mental health tools that integrate seamlessly with therapeutic support.
"I have been working through the skills and they ARE BRILLIANT! They have already made a difference in my life and thinking, and I am changing how I deal with distressing situations. Thank you so much." MF (May 2021)
The Decider Skills enable you to:
- Face common life challenges
- Make sense of problems
- Make positive changes in how you think and react
- Tolerate distress
- Be more mindful
- Manage emotions including anxiety, low mood, anger and stress
- Improve communication and relationships
- Increase resilience and wellbeing
Which Course Should I Choose – 12 Skills or 32 Skills?
Choose the 12 Skills if you want a simple, achievable starting point
The 12 Skills give people an achievable foundation to begin making positive changes. They offer the lightest‑touch approach needed to promote change, making them ideal if you’re new to CBT/DBT‑informed strategies or want something manageable.
The 12 Skills may be all you need — for yourself or to support loved ones. They also provide a strong base if you plan to start individual or group therapy later, where beginning “small” is considered best practice.
Choose the 32 Skills if you want a deeper therapeutic toolkit
If you want to build on the foundation of the 12 Skills, the 32 Skills add a further 20 strategies for more comprehensive emotional regulation and therapeutic support.
This option is ideal if you’re ready for deeper work, want more tools for complex emotions, or are already engaged in therapy. It offers more intensity without the time, cost, or commitment required by some therapeutic programmes.
Quick Summary: 12 Skills vs 32 Skills
12 Skills
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Best starting point
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Achievable and manageable
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May be all you need
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Ideal before therapy
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Lightest‑touch approach
32 Skills
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Adds 20 more skills
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Deeper, more comprehensive
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Great for ongoing therapy
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More tools for complex challenges
"The course is helping me. I feel in a better place with it." SM (September 2020)
What You Get in Both Courses (12 Skills & 32 Skills)
Both The Decider 12 Life Skills for Self Help Online Course and The Decider 32 Therapeutic Skills for Self Help Online Course include:
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The Decider Life Skills for Self Help book or The Decider 32 Skills for Self Help book
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3 months course access
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Introduction to The Decider Skills & CBT
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The FIZZ
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Course content for either 12 Life Skills or all 32 Therapeutic Skills, depending on the course you choose
Each skill includes:
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Introduction
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Teaching
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Real life examples
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Videos
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Exercises and reflections
After completion of either course you may also access:
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Assessment & Certificate of Completion
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The Decider Skills webapp
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The Decider Skills animated videos
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All course videos include optional subtitles
Order 12 Skills Self-Help Course here
Order 32 Skills Self-Help Course here
Organisations can contact us for bulk order discounts.
Account Setup & Login Support
After payment, we will set up your online course account and you will receive an automated email with your login details. Sometimes this automated email is diverted by over-zealous spam filters. If you don't receive the email or have lost your login details:
- Your unique username and password will have been emailed to you.
- Your username is your email address.
- if you have forgotten or lost your password, please click on the Login link below, enter your email address (username) then click "forgot / reset password" - a new password will be emailed to you.
The Decider Skills for Self Help - For NHS Trusts / Organisations / Charities
The Decider Skills for Self Help online course also available at discounted rate for organisations purchasing for multiple clients. Please contact us for details
If you are supporting clients or students remotely, see our Online Solutions page for implementation guidance.
I was lucky enough to have received the 32 skills through my psychiatric nurse last year. This course has genuinely changed my life and I use the principles every single day. 2 decades of mental health issues and this course was the turning point for me. I was given the tools to identify why I acted and felt the way I did. I now plan to continually improve my skills and use them with my two young children. Thank you so much for developing this amazing and genuinely life saving set of skills. Kim from Lothian
Amazon Review for The Decider Skills for Self Help Book:
Frequently Asked Questions
What are The Decider Skills for Self Help?
The Decider Skills for Self Help are CBT and DBT‑informed strategies that simplify complex psychological theory into practical, memorable tools for managing emotions, improving coping, and making positive changes.
What is the difference between the 12 Skills and 32 Skills courses?
The 12 Skills course provides an achievable foundation, while the 32 Skills course includes all 12 Skills plus an additional 20 therapeutic skills for deeper emotional regulation and more comprehensive support.
How do I choose between the 12 Skills and 32 Skills?
Choose the 12 Skills if you want a manageable starting point or preparation for therapy. Choose the 32 Skills if you want a more advanced toolkit or additional strategies for complex emotional challenges.
How long do the courses take to complete?
The 12 Skills course takes around 4 hours, and the 32 Skills course takes around 10 hours. Both can be completed at your own pace with 3 months of access.
Do I need any previous experience with CBT or DBT?
No. Both courses are designed for beginners and for people already familiar with therapy. The skills are simple, memorable, and easy to apply.
Can The Decider Skills support therapy or be used before starting therapy?
Yes. The skills provide a strong foundation for individual or group therapy. Starting with the 12 Skills offers the lightest‑touch approach before progressing to more intensive therapeutic work.
What is included in each online course?
Both courses include a book (12 or 32 Skills), 3 months of access, an introduction to The Decider Skills & CBT, The FIZZ, videos, real‑life examples, exercises, reflections, and access to the webapp and animated videos after completion.
Will I receive a certificate when I finish the course?
Yes. You can complete an assessment and receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of either course.
What should I do if I don’t receive my login details?
Check your spam folder. Your username is your email address. If you’ve lost or forgotten your password, visit the login page and select “forgot / reset password” to receive a new one.
Additional Resources
The Decider Skills for Self Help book available from Amazon
STOPP App
Download our IOS, Android and Windows STOPP app from your app store.
More about the STOPP App here
STOPP app demonstration video
The Decider Skills APP
Please follow links below to access the new app.
The Web App - accessible from any device
Resilient Ratties books for children are available from www.resilientrattiesbooks.com