Dialectical behavior therapy / DBT-A01-3
Acceptance and Change Together — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about acceptance and change together while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Taylor feels disappointed and still wants to make a clear request.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. Acceptance and change can be held together without approving harm.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore acceptance and change together using an ordinary or fictional example? We can adapt it, observe, or stop." Ask what the person wants from the conversation.
Elicit before teaching
Ask: "How does this show up, if at all, in your own words?" Offer this idea tentatively: Acceptance and change can be held together without approving harm. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Write two accurate statements about a manageable difficulty: what is true now and what you want to influence. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Taylor feels disappointed and still wants to make a clear request.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What can be accepted as present while you choose a change? Avoid assigning motives or interpreting silence as agreement.
Respond to a mismatch
If the person rejects the frame, say: "Thank you for correcting it. What would be more useful?" Return to their language or choose a different approach.
Close with agency
Ask which observation, question, or support request the person wants to keep. Confirm a manageable ending and appropriate follow-up; do not turn a tentative possibility into a homework obligation.
Prompts for this resource
- Readiness, permission, cultural context, and access needs to check:
- What can be accepted as present while you choose a change?
- What would tell me to adapt, stop, or seek supervision?
Conceptual background
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training: Fundamentals — Behavioral Tech Institute
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.