5general Skill S: 
orienT aTion an D 
anal Yzing Be HaVior
Introduction to Handouts and Worksheets
There are two sets of handouts and worksheets in this part of the book. The first 
covers Orientation , which typically takes place during the first session of a new 
skills group, or when new members join an ongoing skills group. The purpose of orientation is to introduce members to one another and to the skills trainers, and to orient members to the format, rules, and meeting times of the particular skills training program. As described below, General Handouts 1 through 5 cover these 
issues, along with General Worksheet 1. General Handouts 6 through 8, and their 
corresponding worksheets, cover two important general skills for Analyzing Behav -
ior: chain analysis and missing-links analysis. These are also described below.
Orientation
••General Handout 1: Goals of Skills Training. This handout lists the general 
and the specific goals of DBT skills training. Use this handout to think how you could personally benefit from skills training. Which areas are you most interested 
in? Use General Worksheet 1: Pros and Cons of Using Skills any time you aren’t sure 
whether there are benefits to practicing DBT skills. Be sure to fill out the pros and cons for both the option of practicing skills and the option of not practicing.
••General Handout 1a: Options for Solving Any Problem. Although there are 
many, many things that can cause us pain, our options for responding to pain are limited. We can solve the problem that is causing the pain. We can try to feel better 
by changing our emotional response to the pain. Or we can accept and tolerate the