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From DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition  by Marsha M. Linehan. Copyright 2015 by Marsha M. Linehan. Permission 
to photocopy this handout is granted to purchasers of this book for personal use only (see copyright page for details). General Handout 4  
Skills Training a ssumptions
an assumption is a belief that cannot be proved,  
but we agree to abide by it anyway.
1. people are doing the best they can.
All people at any given point in time are doing the best they can.
2. people want to improve.
The common characteristic of all people is that they want to improve their lives and be happy.
3. people need to do better, try harder, and be more motivated to change. *
The fact that people are doing the best they can, and want to do even better, does not mean 
that these things are enough to solve the problem.
4. people may not have caused all of our own problems, but they have to solve them 
anyway. **
People have to change their own behavioral responses and alter their environment for their life to change.
5. new behavior has to be learned in all relevant contexts.
New behavioral skills have to be practiced in the situations where the skills are needed, not just 
in the situation where the skills are first learned.
6. all behaviors (actions, thoughts, emotions) are caused.
There is always a cause or set of causes for our actions, thoughts, and emotions, even if we do 
not know what the causes are.
7. figuring out and changing the causes of behavior work better than judging and blaming.
Judging and blaming are easier, but if we want to create change in the world, we have to change the chains of events that cause unwanted behaviors and events.