Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills

DBT Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills are a core component of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, focusing on improving relationships and social interactions. It improves your ability to communicate with others, make them see your perspective, and do the things you want them to do.

The aim of DBT Interpersonal Effectiveness is to focus on balancing the needs of the individual to maintain healthy relationships, improve current relationships, and establish new ones. It also emphasizes how you should end unhealthy and toxic relationships that impact you negatively. Interpersonal effective skills are developed gradually by navigating and coping with ANT’s or automatic negative thoughts that can be obstacles in building new relationships or ending unhealthy ones. Interpersonal Effectiveness consists of four sub skills:

Common DBT Questions for Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills

  1. Can you describe a recent situation where you struggled to communicate your needs effectively?
  2. How do you typically balance your own needs with the needs of others in relationships?
  3. What strategies do you use to maintain your self-respect when dealing with difficult people?
  4. How comfortable are you with saying “no” to requests? Can you give an example?
  5. In what situations do you find it most challenging to assert yourself?
  6. How do you typically handle conflicts in your relationships?
  7. Can you recall a time when you successfully used the DEAR MAN technique? (Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, Mindful, Appear confident, Negotiate)
  8. How do you validate others’ feelings and perspectives during disagreements?
  9. What are your biggest fears or concerns when it comes to expressing your opinions or needs?
  10. How do you maintain relationships while also setting healthy boundaries?
  11. Can you describe a situation where you effectively used active listening skills?
  12. What aspects of interpersonal effectiveness do you feel you need the most improvement in?