Dialectical behavior therapy / DBT-A19-5
Behavior Chain with a Missing Link — Review journal
Review an attempt at behavior chain with a missing link and choose what to keep, change, or leave aside.
10 minutes · Journal prompts · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Taylor delays a task after confusing instructions and then feels more overwhelmed.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A chain analysis explores sequence and context rather than assigning blame.
Before looking back
Choose one ordinary attempt or decide to review the fictional example instead. This journal has no scores, required disclosure, or expectation of progress.
Revisit the practice
With a clinician, map a low-intensity event from vulnerabilities through thoughts, feelings, actions, and consequences; mark unknown links.
Notice context and impact
Record what actually happened, including an unhelpful or neutral outcome. Note resources, power differences, accessibility, and changed conditions rather than attributing everything to personal effort.
Choose a revision
Where is a change or support point in the sequence? Keep the approach, change one part, ask for support, or set it aside. A mismatch is useful information.
Prompts for this resource
- What I tried, or what happened in the fictional example:
- What I noticed before, during, and after; what remains uncertain:
- What helped, did not help, or was outside my control:
- Where is a change or support point in the sequence? My optional adjustment or support request:
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.