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Trace a problem behaviour back through the chain of vulnerability factors, events, thoughts, emotions, and actions that led to it — then identify intervention points.
Chain analysis maps the full sequence from vulnerability factors through to the problem behaviour and its consequences. Once the chain is visible, you can identify links where a different response could break the chain next time.
Use when the client has experienced a problematic episode such as a significant mood crash, self-harm episode, or relapse into harmful behaviour, and a detailed understanding of the chain of events is needed. Drawing from DBT methodology, chain analysis helps identify specific vulnerability factors, triggers, links in the chain, and points where intervention could have changed the outcome.
Frame as understanding, not judgement: 'Let's look carefully at what happened, step by step, not to blame you but to understand the chain of events that led to this outcome. By mapping it out, we can find specific points where things could have gone differently and plan for next time.'
For clients who feel defensive about the episode, emphasise curiosity over criticism. For those who struggle with sequential recall, start from the outcome and work backward. For clients with emotional dysregulation, ensure they are sufficiently grounded before detailed exploration. Use a visual timeline format if the linear chain is hard to follow.
Avoid conducting chain analysis while the client is still in acute distress; stabilise first. Not appropriate if the analysis becomes punitive or reinforces self-blame. Be cautious with trauma-related episodes where detailed re-examination might retraumatise rather than inform.
Identify vulnerability factors such as sleep deprivation, skipped meals, and interpersonal conflict that set the stage. Look for the specific moment where the chain became difficult to interrupt, as this is often the key intervention point. Generate specific alternative responses at multiple links in the chain. Use the analysis to update the safety plan or coping strategies.
Suitable for clients working with chain analysis, dbt, personality, self-harm, functional analysis, cbt. This tool can be used as a standalone worksheet or as part of a structured homework plan.
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Review evidence for and against a core belief across different life periods — childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Identify recurring patterns across relationships — mapping what triggers the pattern, what you expect, what you do, and the outcome.
Track schema activations — when old patterns get triggered, what mode you went into, and what you could do differently.
Create coping flashcards that capture a triggering situation, the old unhelpful response, and a new, more adaptive response — for quick reference in difficult moments.