Dialectical behavior therapy / DBT-A05-3
One Thing with Flexibility — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about one thing with flexibility while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Taylor reads one paragraph while allowing a needed movement break.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. Focused attention can be adapted to capacity and interruptions.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore one thing with flexibility 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: Focused attention can be adapted to capacity and interruptions. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Choose a tiny task, define a short focus interval, and plan how to return after interruption. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Taylor reads one paragraph while allowing a needed movement break.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What amount of focus is realistic today? 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 amount of focus is realistic today?
- 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.