Behavior Chain Analysis Worksheet Overview
A behavior chain analysis helps you look closely at a behavior you want to change and everything that led up to it. Psychologist Marsha Linehan made chain analysis a core part of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). It can help anyone whose reactions sometimes feel like they come out of nowhere.
This worksheet walks you through one moment, link by link, from what left you vulnerable to what happened afterward. Then it helps you find the links where a skill could change what happens next and plan how to make things right.
In this worksheet, we’ll:
- Help you describe the behavior, what set it off, and what made you vulnerable
- Walk you through each link in the chain, with a worked example
- Provide space to look at the consequences, right after and later on
- Help you pick the links where a skill could change what happens next
- Give you space to plan how to lower your vulnerability and repair things
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Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. Guilford Press.
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Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
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