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DBT House / DBH-A19-3

A Shared House by Consent — Clinician dialogue

Guide a collaborative conversation about a shared house by consent while checking fit and participant choice.

15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals

Download printable PDFPreview / add to packet

Fictional example: A group adds support ideas to a shared drawing while keeping personal notes private.

Use within your training and assessment of readiness. A group house can represent shared resources without requiring personal disclosure.

Invite and obtain permission

Offer: "Would it be useful to explore a shared house by consent 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: A group house can represent shared resources without requiring personal disclosure. Ask what fits and what does not.

Guide the task

Build a fictional shared structure with optional contributions, permission before interpretation, and no requirement to display private work. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: A group adds support ideas to a shared drawing while keeping personal notes private.

Reflect and check accuracy

Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: How can the shared design leave room for different needs? 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

  1. Readiness, permission, cultural context, and access needs to check:
  2. How can the shared design leave room for different needs?
  3. 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.

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