Infidelity recovery / INF-A01-3
Stabilization after Discovery — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about stabilization after discovery while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Lee feels overwhelmed and is unsure what to decide.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. Immediate support and practical needs can come before major relationship decisions.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore stabilization after discovery 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: Immediate support and practical needs can come before major relationship decisions. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Map current needs for rest, privacy, practical help, and individual clinical support without requiring a detailed account of the betrayal. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Lee feels overwhelmed and is unsure what to decide.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What would make the next day more manageable? 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
- Readiness, permission, cultural context, and access needs to check:
- What would make the next day more manageable?
- What would tell me to adapt, stop, or seek supervision?
Conceptual background
Integrative Model of Affair Recovery — American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
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.