Family Skills Module

FAMILY SKILLS MODULE:
for use in
Family Skill Training
Alan E. Fruzzetti, Ph.D.

University of Nevada
For more information, write: See also (for practice exercises):
Alan E. Fruzzetti, Ph.D. The High Conflict Couple: A DBT

Director, Dialectical Behavior Therapy Guide to Finding Peace, Intimacy, and
Program Validation (New Harbinger Press) by
Department of Psychology 298 Alan Fruzzetti
University of Nevada
Reno, NV 89557-0062
email: aef@unr.edu
PLEASE DO NOT COPY WITHOUT PERMISSION Alan E. Fruzzetti Family Skill s Handouts V8.0 June 2009
HANDOUT 1
Awareness of Your Partner or Family Member
BALANCE IN RELATIONSHIPS
Me You
My needs/desires Your needs/desires
Logic/Emotion Emotion/Logic
My goals Your goals
My values Your values
My problems Your problems
My happiness Your happiness
In a balanced relationship, each person is aware of herself/himself and

the other person. BOTH sets are equally important to each person.
RELATIONAL (Interpersonal) MINDFULNESS
WHAT? HOW?
Observe: just notice the other person Non-judgmentally: let go of
Describe: Put words on the experience shoulds and right/wrong
Participate: Involve yourself in the One-mindfully: only pay attention to
experience or activity with your the other person or your
relationship
family member Effectively: Remember that this is
someone you love & care about
DECREASE EMOTIONAL REACTIVITY
Use Relational Mindfulness to sort out emotions, opinions, needs, wants,

and to interrupt your negative reactions, anger, and toxic responses
Be mindful of your role (as parent, partner, family member) and goals
Be mindful of appropriate & effective timing of discussions
When tired, hungry, sick, or upset, remember that emotional reactivity is high
Increase mindfulness of pleasant things that your family member does for
you, you do for your family member, or you do together
THESE STEPS ARE NECESSARY TO MAKE UNDERSTANDING,

AND THUS VALIDATION, POSSIBLE.
Relational Mindfulness, continued
Options for your attention/mental orientation:
Observe/notice take the observer role

This is especially helpful if involvement/participation is very
painful, leads you to react in a problematic way, or you are
avoiding something important. You can notice yourself or another.
Describe this can also be from the observer role

Again, this is very helpful to avoid/let go of judgments. Try
describing as you would if you were a novelist or radio announcer,
capturing details without commentary or opinions (or judgments).
Again, you can describe your own thoughts, sensations, reactions,
behaviors, etc., or the OBSERVABLE things another person is doing.
Participate let go of observing, describing, or anything except actively

immersing yourself into the moment, into the activity
This is where you let go of being self-conscious, self-evaluating,
let go of the chatter in your mind and move toward just experiencing
the moment, situation, etc.
Make Judgments: right/wrong or good/bad or should/shouldnt

Making judgments is problematic, especially concerning someone
you love. This might take the form of bitter complaints,
expectations that the other person should change, etc., and is
very often accompanied by strong anger, sarcasm, and/or
contempt.
Numb out
This is where you stop acting effectively and instead go into a daze,
or maybe even fool yourself into thinking you are just coping.
Instead, you really are just avoiding something important.
Hyperactivity: run around doing many things

This is another way to numb out, but looks like youre being
very productive because of all the energy youre putting out.
Focus on or lament the past, or focus on the future, hate the present
This is easy to do when just trying to get through the present
activity. This is also means/ends thinking: I am only doing
this in order to get X. We spend 100% of our time in the present.
HANDOUT 2
Letting Go of Anger, Finding the Other Emotions
Anger as a primary emotion: normative and justified in the

situation, and effective to experience or express
VERSUS
Anger as a secondary emotion: non-normative or not justified in

the situation, or problematic/ineffective to experience or express
Primary and Secondary Conditioned Emotional Reactions
Primary or Effective Secondary or Problematic
Sadness, disappointment Anger
Guilt or shame Anger
Fear Anger
Jealousy Anger
Judgments (about oneself or another) also lead to anger
See Emotion Regulation Handout #4 for a full description

of emotions: situations, sensations, and so on (Linehan).
HANDOUT 3
Using Relational Mindfulness in Relationships
BEING TOGETHER WHEN YOU ARE TOGETHER
There are 3 ways to be together:
1. Passively together
Both people are physically present (e.g., same room or place) but are
not interacting with each other and are not focusing attention on each
other. They are doing separate things or activities (for example,
reading, chores), and attention is focused primarily on those activities.
2. Actively together
Both people are doing some activity together, such as walking, watching
a TV show or movie, eating, or sleeping. Attention is focused primarily
on these activities, but there is some awareness of each other.
3. Interactively together
Regardless of other activities, attention and awareness is focused on each
other. There may be a lot of talking, or very little, but there is enough
communication for both to know that you are doing something together.
Figure 1
Why are Accurate Expression and Validation Important?
Transactional Model:
Emotion Dysregulation Invalidation
Emotion Vulnerability Pervasive History of

(current & temperamental, Invalidating Responses
such as sensitivity,
reactivity, current state) Event
Judgments
Heightened Emotional Arousal

(leading to emotion
dysregulation)
Inaccurate Expression &

Out of Control Behavior
Invalidating Responses
(From Yourself and Others)
Adapted from Fruzzetti, Shenk, & Hoffman, 2005
HANDOUT 4
EXPRESSING YOURSELF EFFECTIVELY
In order to be understood, or for another person to respond in the w ay

you want, you first must be able to identify accurately what you want
(or feel, think, etc.) and tell the other person in a way he or she can
understand.
ACCURATE EXPRESSION: TIMING
Know what you want:

use mindfulness to identify what you really feel, think, and want
Is the time right?

use mindfulness of the other person to figure out whether she or
he is able to validate or work on this with you RIGHT NOW
if not, WAIT
if the timing is right, tell the other person what your goal is, get
agreement on the goal, and proceed
GOALS AND STRATEGIES
Goal: Strategy:
Sort out feelings Describe situation, reaction

(use Handout 4)
Communicate emotion, want, opinion Describe (use Mindfulness)
Get the other person to change Describe situation, problem mindfully;

work together on solution; follow
through with support, coaching, etc.
Support the other person Validate at multiple levels
Correct injustice Describe situation, emotion, and

negotiate
HANDOUT 5
What Validation Is, Why It Is Important
WHAT IS VALIDATION?
IDENTIFYING AND COMMUNICATING YOUR

UNDERSTANDING IN A CLEAR WAY
Communicate what you understand about the situation

Legitimize the facts (including the fact of the others responses)
Explain your own feelings after expressing understanding
Acknowledge the situation, the others opinions, feelings, etc.
Respect emotions, desires, reactions and goals
WHY IS VALIDATION IMPORTANT?
Validation:
Is the core of communication (along with accurate disclosure)
Reduces negative emotional arousal
Builds trust and slows negative reactivity
Maintains fairness and decreases anger
Enhances self-respect
Is the key to getting through rough spots in your relationship
Makes problem-solving, closeness, & other kinds of support possible
Invalidation is toxic to relationships and to individuals
REMEMBER:
V ALIDATING IS NOT NECESSARILY AGREEING.
V ALIDATING DOESN T MEAN YOU LIKE IT.
ONLY VALIDATE THE VALID.
HANDOUT 6
What, When, & How to Validate
TARGETS: What should I validate?
Feelings or emotions
Legitimacy in wanting something
Beliefs, opinions, or thoughts about something
True values about something
How difficult a task is
How hard a person is trying to accomplish something
Things a person does that are effective for herself or himself
Things a person does for another
FACTORS TO REMEMBER
Notice if the timing is right

Try to take turns: when its your turn to listen, listen
mindfully and dont think about what youre going to say next
Use an effective voice tone
Keep eye contact natural and respectful
Be aware of personal space (stay close enough, but dont invade)
Dont hesitate to ask if the other person actually feels validated
Practice non-blaming, non-black & white thinking (validating the
other does not mean your perspective isnt also valid)
When providing difficult feedback or disagreeing, do so
only when the other person is ready and willing to discuss this;
always validate first and remind the other of your goals and caring
Remember that one effective, step forward is better than ten backwards
HANDOUT 6, continued
HOW DO I VALIDATE ANOTHER PERSON?
ANY WAY you can search for understanding and communicate

that understanding.
Different ways to validate verbally, in a conversation:
1) pay attention, listen actively

use good eye contact & body posture to communicate that
you are listening non-judgmentally
2) reflect her or his feelings descriptively (non-judgmentally)

let yourself feel a little bit of what she or he is feeling,
and let yourself show it (voice tone, facial expression, posture)
3) summarize her or his or my perspective descriptively, for understanding

(and not to disagree, criticize, or judge, not to change her or his mind
or goals, nor to get her or him to do something differently)
clarify what it is that you hear, that you understand; ask questions
4) show tolerance; give the benefit of the doubt and put the thing
you are trying to validate into a broader context; see how the behavior
is valid in the other persons life, given their history and experiences
describe HOW what the other person is saying (feeling, thinking,
their actions, etc.) DOES make sense in terms of her or his life
experiences and life struggles
5) be mindful of the other person & the relationship; stay non-judgmental;

normalize thoughts, feelings, and wants in present circumstances
if the others behavior is normal, or makes sense, say so;
find parts of their experience that are normative (e.g., emotions or desires)
6) practice willingness, be genuine; treat the other as an equal, not as

fragile or incompetent
if the other person has strong emotions, help her or him manage
them (dont change the subject); if theyre acting ineffectively,
tell them in a supportive, caring (but clear) way
7) self-disclose your own vulnerability (this is a form of validation)

if the other person is vulnerable with you, it is very validating
to be vulnerable in return (especially concerning your relationship)
Also, you can validate without talking:
Respond in a way (action, not just words) that takes her or him seriously
if hungry, get him or her something to eat; if wanting company,
join her or him or go do something with her or him; if wanting
some alone time, allow it; if not wanting to talk right now, let
the issue go, at least temporarily
Provide nurturance and support

think: How would I like someone to treat me in this situation?
ask: What would you like me to do? What would be soothing?
Balance and use interpersonal effectiveness skills (Linehan)

balance the importance of your relationship with your self-respect
(and any particular objectives you have)
remember: just because you can do something doesnt mean
that you have to; and just because its not your job doesnt mean
that you cant
What would work? What is important?
HANDOUT 7
How to Validate in Difficult Situations
THE MANY WAYS TO INVALIDATE THE VALID
(or, 101 ways to corrode your relationship and

help the other person, and yourself, to be miserable)
Do things to diminish safety (make threats, be coercive or aggressive)

Ignore or dont pay attention (or pretend not to pay attention)
Minimizing feelings or their legitimacy
Be critical or judgmental; put the worst possible spin on the behavior
Let miscommunication stand unrepaired
Be willful (focus on being right instead of effective or decent)
Insist on your solution to the problem instead of solving the problem
Make assumptions about another person that are not mindful,
are judgmental, not consistent with the facts, or the worst spin
Up the ante: escalate conflict
Try to win an argument by being more hostile or attacking
Dont pay attention to anothers pain or suffering
Engage in controlling behavior
Engage in crazy-making behavior (e.g., gaslighting, be dishonest,
or patronizing, insist she or he feels or thinks something
even though they say they dont even if you are well-intended)
Dont validate enough
Treat the person as though she or he is fragile
GETTING YOURSELF TO VALIDATE
Take the other persons perspective (relational mindfulness)

Remember the foundation: this is your family member, your own nest
Empathy = understanding and validating the other person
Reality acceptance (what is versus what should be)
Effective assumptions promote effective behavior: when in doubt,
identify assumptions, remember goals, and proceed from wise mind
HANDOUT 8
True and Genuine (Radical) Acceptance
STEP 1: TOLERANCE
Stop trying to get the other person to change her or his behavior
Must tolerate your own disappointment
- let go of judgments
- let go of anger
-actually grieve the loss (youre not getting what you wanted)
The other persons behavior may still bother you and you may still be
miserable
STEP 2: BE MINDFUL OF NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
The focus turns from tolerating disappointment/anger to noticing the full

range of effects of your previous dont accept position
The consequences of disappointment & anger include:

- being more vulnerable to further conflict
- more emotional distance
- more misery for the other person
- more misery of your own
- one or both stop participating in the relationship, which leads to
further distance, conflict, and unhappiness
STEP 3: LET GO OF SUFFERING & ENGAGE YOUR LIFE NOW
Recontextualize others behavior: mindfully, non-judgmentally bring into

focus as context all the things that you like or love or value or appreciate
about the other person
Understand the meaning of the other persons behavior (the one you
dont like)
- given her or his life experiences
- given your relationship experiences (including right now)
- related emotions, beliefs, desires, etc.
Appreciate the she or he is exactly as she or he should be; enjoy this
aspect of the other person
Participate in the relationship fully: This is someone you love, part of
your life
Be committed, even passionate about making the relationship work
Validate, validate, validate (and self-validate, self-validate, self-validate)
Participate in your life
HANDOUT 9
HOW CAN I VALIDATE MYSELF?
Be mindful of thoughts & feelings: observe, describe, participate, non-

judgmentally; just notice (what is, is)
Notice thinking, and observe (not necessarily participating in the thought)
Accurately identify feelings (primary emotions)
Allow myself to feel my primary emotions
Respect my own values
Search for understanding and legitimacy, honestly & non-judgmentally
Try radical acceptance of being, of my feelings, of thoughts, of actions
Practice willingness with respect to my own experience
Recontextualize the thing(s) I tend to invalidate (broaden and balance the
context of the thing youre invalidating)
Respond in a way (action) that takes myself seriously
Normalize my normative behavior
Recognize problematic behavior and target it for change
Provide myself nurturance and support, or seek it from another
Use wise mind
Essence of Self-Validation
Let go of judgments of yourself (which typically lead to shame)

Notice shame, and (if you havent truly transgressed against your
values), let it go and finding the alternative, primary emotion
Describe situations, acknowledge wants and preferences
Practice just being who you are, just notice & describe (see homework)
When in doubt, imagine that someone you care about and respect
is in your situation how would you respond to her or him?
Respond this way to yourself.
When you understand, you cannot help but love. You cannot get
angry. To develop understanding, you have to practice looking w ith
eyes of compassion. When you understand, you love. And w hen you
love you naturally act in way that can relieve the suffering of people.
- Thich Nhat Hanh
How To Validate Others Homework Sheet
Name: Date:
Fill out this sheet during or just after a situation in w hich you w ere trying to
validate another person. Describe the situation (context). Use the back of the page
if you need more room.
Prompting event: Be specific.
Primary Target: Describe how you tried to understand the other and how you tried
to communicate that understanding. What kind of validation did you use? See
handout #6. Again, be specific.
Evaluate: Were you able to understand the other person s experience? What skills
did you use to understand him or her? If not, w hat other information did you need
to understand?
Evaluate: Were you able to communicate that understanding to the other person?
What skills did you use to communicate that understanding? If not, w hat else
could have helped you to communicate that understanding better?
Seeking Validation and Support: Homework Sheet
Name: Date:
Fill out this sheet during or just after a situation in w hich you w ere seeking or
w anted to seek validation and/or support. Describe the situation as soon as you
can. Use the back of the page if you need more room.
Prompting event: Be specific.
Goals and Objectives: Clarify feelings? Wanting to feel understood? Wanting

someone to do something different/new ? Wanting the relationship to be different?
Wanting to do something different/new for another person? Level of validation
targeted? Be specific.
What did you do to be effective? What happened after? Be specific.
What did you do to maintain the relationship? What happened after? Be specific.
What did you do to maintain self-respect? What happened after? Be specific.
What (if anything) got in the w ay of you being effective?
SELF-VALIDATION
Goals:
1) Separate experiences (e.g., feelings, thoughts, desires, sensations) from:

explanations,
judgments, and
from future events or worries about the future (or behaviors)
2) Separate aspects of an experience that are valid from those that are not (or
may not be) valid:
valid in terms of previous experiences but not present ones
valid in terms of some previous experiences and not others
valid in terms of the past or present, but not the future
3) Describeprimary emotions, wants, beliefs, facts (no judgments)
4) Connect your primary emotions to what happened (if you can): It makes
sense, given that ___ happened, that I feel this way (see the diagram on page
2)
5) Be effective; empower yourself to handle any situation skillfully
Self-Validation may take one of the following forms (and some others):
What Verb Modifier/description/referent
I am. None (I exist. Period)
am physical description (here; not there; 5 ft. tall).
feel emotions, temperature, sensations (sad, happy,

hot, cold, afraid, ashamed, excited, satisfied).
want object of desire or longing (not needs, which

require an in order to ____)
think opinions, beliefs, expectations, ideas, appraisals

(not necessarily facts)
notice anything that you can observe, describe, etc.,

non-judgmentally (see, hear, etc.)
am doing notice and describe without interpreting or judging
SELF-VALIDATION PRACTICE
Situation:
What Verb Description
I am.
am physically:
feel emotions:
temperature:
sensations:
other:
want
think
notice
am doing
VALIDATING OTHERS
Goals:
1) Understand: What is the other persons experience? What can you observe?
Without explanations or judgments, without should or shouldnts
2) Communicate what you understand: Can you acknowledge his or her

experience?
I know that you ____
I can see that you ___
It makes sense that you ___
Of course you ___ (that makes complete sense anybody would)
3) Or, find out more: Can you ask about his or her experience in a way that
shows you genuinely are interested and truly want to understand?
I know you ___ but I dont completely understand. Could you tell me more
to help me understand?
Validation may take one of the following forms (and many others):
You are. none
are physical description (here; not there; 5 ft. tall).
feel emotions, temperature, sensations (sad, happy,

hot, cold, afraid, ashamed, excited, satisfied).
want object of desire or longing (not needs, which

require an in order to ____)
think opinions, beliefs, expectations, ideas, appraisals

(not necessarily facts)
notice anything that she or he observes, describes, etc.,

non-judgmentally
are in our relationship (e.g., important to me)
are doing notice and describe without interpreting or judging
VALIDATION PRACTICE
Situation:
I know that or, I can see that or, It makes sense that
You are.
are physically:
feel emotions:
temperature:
sensations:
other:
want
think
notice
other
are relationship:
are doing ________________________________________________

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FAMILY SKILLS MODULE:

Family Skill Training

Alan E. Fruzzetti, Ph.D.

For more information, write: See also (for practice exercises):

Alan E. Fruzzetti, Ph.D. The High Conflict Couple: A DBT

Awareness of Your Partner or Family Member

In a balanced relationship, each person is aware of herself/himself and

RELATIONAL (Interpersonal) MINDFULNESS

DECREASE EMOTIONAL REACTIVITY

Use Relational Mindfulness to sort out emotions, opinions, needs, wants,

THESE STEPS ARE NECESSARY TO MAKE UNDERSTANDING,

Options for your attention/mental orientation:

Observe/notice take the observer role

Describe this can also be from the observer role

Participate let go of observing, describing, or anything except actively

Make Judgments: right/wrong or good/bad or should/shouldnt

Hyperactivity: run around doing many things

Letting Go of Anger, Finding the Other Emotions

Anger as a primary emotion: normative and justified in the

Anger as a secondary emotion: non-normative or not justified in

Primary and Secondary Conditioned Emotional Reactions

Primary or Effective Secondary or Problematic

Sadness, disappointment Anger

Guilt or shame Anger

Judgments (about oneself or another) also lead to anger

See Emotion Regulation Handout #4 for a full description

Using Relational Mindfulness in Relationships

BEING TOGETHER WHEN YOU ARE TOGETHER

There are 3 ways to be together:

Why are Accurate Expression and Validation Important?

Emotion Dysregulation Invalidation

Emotion Vulnerability Pervasive History of

Heightened Emotional Arousal

Inaccurate Expression &

Adapted from Fruzzetti, Shenk, & Hoffman, 2005

EXPRESSING YOURSELF EFFECTIVELY

In order to be understood, or for another person to respond in the w ay

ACCURATE EXPRESSION: TIMING

Know what you want:

Is the time right?

GOALS AND STRATEGIES

Sort out feelings Describe situation, reaction

Communicate emotion, want, opinion Describe (use Mindfulness)

Get the other person to change Describe situation, problem mindfully;

Support the other person Validate at multiple levels

Correct injustice Describe situation, emotion, and

What Validation Is, Why It Is Important

IDENTIFYING AND COMMUNICATING YOUR

Communicate what you understand about the situation

WHY IS VALIDATION IMPORTANT?

Invalidation is toxic to relationships and to individuals

What, When, & How to Validate

TARGETS: What should I validate?

Notice if the timing is right

HOW DO I VALIDATE ANOTHER PERSON?

ANY WAY you can search for understanding and communicate

Different ways to validate verbally, in a conversation:

1) pay attention, listen actively

2) reflect her or his feelings descriptively (non-judgmentally)