Infidelity recovery / INF-A12-2
Pausing a Difficult Conversation — Practice worksheet
Create a pause phrase, separate regulation options, and a mutually feasible time to revisit the topic if appropriate.
15 minutes · Worksheet · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Lee and Quinn notice the discussion becoming too fast and repetitive.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A pause can preserve safety when it includes a realistic return or support plan.
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
Create a pause phrase, separate regulation options, and a mutually feasible time to revisit the topic if appropriate.
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
How can a pause avoid becoming abandonment or forced pursuit? 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:
- How can a pause avoid becoming abandonment or forced pursuit?
- An optional next step, support, adaptation, or reason to stop:
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.