DBT House / DBH-A03-1
Values in the Groundwork — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind values in the groundwork and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Riley chooses honesty, care, and creativity.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Values can guide the design without becoming standards of personal worth.
The idea
Values can guide the design without becoming standards of personal worth.
An ordinary example
Riley chooses honesty, care, and creativity.
What this can look like
Place three chosen qualities beneath the structure and describe one small action that expresses each.
Check the fit
How can a value guide a choice without becoming a demand for perfection? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
A house metaphor is an organizing option, not a diagnostic test, safety determination, or required way to represent experience.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- How can a value guide a choice without becoming a demand for perfection?
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.