DBT House / DBH-A15-2
A Staircase of Small Steps — Practice worksheet
Build three manageable steps toward a chosen aim, adding supports and an accessible route if steps do not fit.
15 minutes · Worksheet · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Riley wants to attend a group and starts by requesting information.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A staircase can show progress with pauses and alternative routes.
1. Choose a workable example
Use the fictional example below or an ordinary situation of your choosing. Keep identifying details out of shared copies.
2. Try the practice
Build three manageable steps toward a chosen aim, adding supports and an accessible route if steps do not fit.
3. Compare possibilities
Generate at least two interpretations or options. Mark what you know, what you are guessing, and what remains outside your control.
4. Decide together
What is the next feasible step, including a needed accommodation? Choose one small action, a support request, or no action. Review the fit with your clinician when relevant.
Prompts for this resource
- My chosen or fictional situation, and what I know about it:
- My response to the practice task above:
- What is the next feasible step, including a needed accommodation?
- An optional next step, support, adaptation, or reason to stop:
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.