When To Use It
Use GIVE when preserving or improving the relationship is a priority in the interaction.
GIVE Relationship Effectiveness Planning Tool
GIVE is a DBT interpersonal effectiveness tool for practitioners helping clients prepare behavior and wording that protects or improves a relationship during an interaction. It helps organize planned Gentle, Interested, Validating, and Easy-manner responses for review and rehearsal.
Explore a sample GIVE plan
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Tool guide
Learn more about this tool
Use this background section to understand when the tool fits, how practitioners use it, and what to consider before sharing it with clients.
Relevant Limitation
If the client's main need is objective effectiveness rather than relationship preservation, a sibling interpersonal effectiveness tool may fit better.
Is GIVE a relationship assessment?
No. GIVE is a relationship-effectiveness planning checklist, not a relationship diagnosis or score.
Can the client leave some GIVE sections blank?
Yes. Unused sections can remain blank, but the review shows them as incomplete.
Does validation mean agreement in this tool?
No. The tool supports naming what can be validated without requiring the client to give up their own position.