11/21/2025
A fun worksheet to complete as you move into more family time around the holidays and getting closer to reflections for the new year.
The DBT House.
What Are the Components of the DBT House
Level 1. As with most houses, there are levels or stories. The first level of the DBT house centers on behaviors. More specifically, this level pertains to the unhealthy or maladaptive behaviors that a person wants to work on or improve. By determining such behaviors in Level 1, people will gain a deeper understanding of the things that they do that do not serve a meaningful or helpful purpose and can work toward developing healthier behaviors that promote authenticity and overall well-being. Thus, Level 1 of the house of DBT is all about responsibility over one’s behaviors.
Level 2. In Level 2, the client explores the emotions that they ideally want to experience in a healthy manner. By recognizing what these emotions are, clients in turn are also able to identify which feelings they find most challenging to deal with. As a result, through the DBT house activity, the individual can figure out what tools and DBT skills they need to combat those difficult or overwhelming emotions.
Level 3. The Level 3 component of the DBT house activity is quite simple in theory. In this level, individuals are encouraged to think about what makes them happy. Specifically, the third level of the house of DBT points to those things that make the client happy. Alternatively, it can also be directed at the things that the client would want to feel happy about.
Level 4. Level 4, the last level of the DBT house, dives deeper, going beyond what has been identified in Level 3. In the fourth level, people are instructed to draw or write their responses to the following question: What would a life worth living look like for you? In other words, what are the client’s reasons for living? What brings you meaning and purpose, and how would your life look if you were living intentionally and feeling hopeful for the future?
Foundation. If the DBT house serves as a metaphor for your psychological life, then what does the foundation represent? In this activity, the foundation is about your values. Examples of values include honesty, integrity, and respect. Such values underscore your belief system; with that said, they are said to govern your life. Furthermore, this component in the house of DBT allows you to have a purposeful and moral life. The foundation of your DBT house must therefore be strong and stable for the sake of your emotional health.
Walls. What purpose do the walls in your house serve? For one, they provide support. They also enforce boundaries, separating the things that are valuable to you from those external factors that could harm or interfere with your sense of safety and security. Thus, the walls in the DBT house represent those interpersonal skills that protect you from threats and that support you. Here, the question to consider is: Who or what supports you?
Roof. What the roof represents is somewhat similar to the meaning behind the walls of your DBT house. However, whereas walls are a metaphor for your personal boundaries, the roof pertains to those individuals or things that protect you from harm. The question here is, who or what protects you?
Door. In the house of DBT, doors open us up to the possibilities of forging emotional connections and important relationships. However, they also allow us to keep people out of our lives. Thus, the door in the DBT house is symbolic of the value of healthy relationships and their role in enhancing one’s well-being. It asks, what do you hide from other people?
Chimney. The DBT house also includes a chimney By drawing a chimney, the individual engaging in the DBT house activity is also able to represent some of the ways they can destress and relieve some of the pressure that they feel. In other words, the chimney in the house of DBT serves as a metaphor for ways that allow you to blow off steam.
Billboard. While it very well may be that most houses do not have billboards, your DBT house does. In your billboard, the question being asked is: “What are things about yourself that you are proud of?”
Examples of responses include life, academic, or professional accomplishments; strengths; skill sets; and traits or characteristics.
