This guide is for qualified professionals choosing whether one of the pack’s activities fits current care. It is not a couples assessment, a treatment model, or a substitute for specialist competence.
How to use this page
Use the steps as a preparation and debrief aid. Allocate time separately for assessment, privacy, and any required follow-up; the stated duration covers reviewing this guide.
Establish suitability privately
Check fear, coercion, retaliation, and the ability to decline before inviting joint practice. Follow the service’s separate screening and safety procedures. Do not label abuse a mutual communication deficit. Seek specialist consultation or referral when joint work is unsuitable.
Choose a narrow learning task
Ask partners what they hope to gain and what they want to avoid. Select a low-stakes topic. Offer spoken or written turns, interpretation, processing time, and a visible stop option. Agree how to handle a pause without pursuing, blaming, or forcing reconnection.
Observe and respond
Notice whether both perspectives can influence the activity. Interrupt intimidation or pressure; better phrasing alone is not the remedy. Invite feedback about whether the task fit their language, culture, disability, and relationship structure. Close with a voluntary next step, or with a decision that no home practice is appropriate.
Reflection prompts
Use these questions in conversation, on paper, or in the downloaded PDF. You may adapt or skip a prompt.
- Suitability, adaptation, and follow-up questions to address through approved clinical processes