F = Being fair to ourselves and other people. A = Not apologising or over-apologising. S = Sticking to our values and beliefs. T = Telling the truth. It can be challenging to practice the FAST skill regularly. Here are 10 DBT FAST skill activities for DBT or other therapies.
1. Setting Personal Boundaries Role-Play
Objective: Practice saying “no” in a respectful but firm manner. Activity: The therapist acts as someone making an unreasonable request, and the client practices asserting their boundaries using the FAST skill. Afterwards, discuss how it felt and areas for improvement. Discussion: Reflect on the difficulty of setting boundaries and the importance of not over-explaining or apologising.
2. Values Clarification Exercise
Objective: Identify and assert core personal values in various situations. Activity: The therapist asks the client to list 3-5 personal values (e.g., honesty, family, health). The client then practices scenarios where they assert these values while maintaining self-respect (FAST skill). Discussion: Discuss how asserting these values feels and how it influences emotional health.
3. Self-Respect Affirmation Journal
Objective: Reinforce self-respect by focusing on personal strengths and values. Activity: The client writes a daily affirmation of self-respect (e.g., “I am worthy of kindness”). In therapy, they read their affirmations and reflect on how they impact their behaviour. Discussion: Discuss the importance of affirming self-respect daily and how it enhances assertiveness.
4. Assertive Communication Practice
Objective: Practice speaking directly without aggression or passivity. Activity: The therapist presents challenging situations (e.g., a friend repeatedly cancels plans). The client practices an assertive response, focusing on fairness and truthfulness (FAST). Discussion: Evaluate whether the client remained assertive while maintaining self-respect and fairness.
5. Saying “No” Without Guilt
Objective: Learn to say “no” without feeling guilty or over-explaining. Activity: The therapist gives the client a scenario where they must say “no” (e.g., refusing a last-minute request for help). The client practices saying no while using the FAST skill. Discussion: Explore how the client felt after saying no and discuss strategies for overcoming guilt.
6. Role-Playing Difficult Conversations
Objective: Use FAST skills during a challenging conversation (e.g., confronting a co-worker about an issue). Activity: The client selects a problematic real-life situation, and the therapist role-plays the other party. The client uses the FAST technique to navigate the conversation. Discussion: Afterward, break down the conversation, emphasising self-respect and fairness, and analyse how the FAST technique helped.
7. Mindful Assertiveness Practice
Objective: Combine mindfulness with the FAST skill to enhance assertiveness. Activity: The client practices mindful breathing before and during a simulated assertive conversation with the therapist. The focus is on staying calm and confident while asserting needs. Discussion: Discuss how mindfulness helps regulate emotions and allows the client to maintain self-respect.
8. Self-Respect Check-In
Objective: Evaluate how well the client is maintaining self-respect in daily interactions. Activity: The client reviews their week and lists moments where they upheld or compromised their self-respect. Together with the therapist, they identify areas where FAST skills could have been applied. Discussion: Reflect on the importance of prioritising self-respect in everyday situations.
9. Truth-Telling Activity
Objective: Practice respectfully telling the truth, even when it’s complicated. Activity: The client identifies a recent situation where they were tempted to avoid the truth to keep the peace. The therapist helps the client role-play how they could have handled it using the FAST skill. Discussion: Analyze how telling the truth respectfully and fairly can lead to better long-term outcomes.
10. Self-Respect Visualization
Objective: Visualize handling a difficult situation while maintaining self-respect. Activity: The therapist guides the client through a visualisation exercise, in which the client imagines themselves in a challenging situation and successfully uses the FAST skill to navigate it. Discussion: After the visualisation, discuss how it felt to maintain self-respect and how to apply these feelings in real life.
