MORE THAN THERAPYTHE RESOURCE LIBRARY

MODULE 13 / 24 · Emotion regulation · 15–25 MINUTES

Check the Facts

Examine interpretations while respecting real threats and emotional signals.

Try the worksheet

Understand the skill

An emotion makes sense in context, yet its intensity or action urge may depend on assumptions. Checking facts asks what is known, what is inferred, and whether a different response would help. Sometimes the facts call for protection or problem-solving.

Practice step by step

  1. Name the emotion and the event that prompted it.
  2. Separate observable facts from assumptions about intentions or the future.
  3. Consider other explanations and the actual level of threat.
  4. Choose problem-solving when the facts support action, or consider opposite action when the urge does not fit.

TRY IT · SOLO OR WITH A GROUP

A practice activity

Two interpretations: a fictional friend has not replied. List known facts, two plausible explanations, and a useful way to get more information.

Group option: Work from a fictional example for five minutes, rehearse or compare choices for five minutes, then discuss one useful adaptation. Pass, write, observe, or work alone.

Your practice worksheet

Writing is optional. Responses stay in this open tab and are not submitted or automatically saved. Closing or refreshing clears them. Avoid names or identifying details. Printing or downloading includes your words.

Use paper or discuss the prompts if you prefer.

Recovery connection

After a missed support call, examine the thought 'Nobody wants me there' before withdrawing from all support.

Facilitator notes

Use low-stakes examples first. Do not turn fact checking into interrogation or a debate over someone's experience of discrimination.

Adaptation and care: Take credible danger seriously. Safety and support come before challenging a threat appraisal.

Between-session practice: Choose one manageable situation to try this skill. Notice the context, what you did, and what helped or needs adjusting. An attempt counts as practice even when feelings do not change.

Background and sources

DBT skills concepts originate in Marsha M. Linehan's work. These are original More Than Therapy activities, not reproductions of official worksheets or endorsed materials.

References inform the skill framework; they do not validate these particular exercises. Life-structure modules are DBT-informed applications, not additional standard DBT core modules.