A relapse does not erase the work done. Reviewing it in an orderly way turns it into useful information.
- What happened just before. Place, time of day, mood, what you were doing on your phone or computer.
- At what point it was hardest to ask for support. Many relapses are decided before the behaviour, at the moment when help was not asked for.
- Which part of the plan could not be applied. Sometimes the agreed response was not feasible at that moment and needs adjusting, not abandoning.
- What you are going to change this week. A single concrete adjustment is more useful than a general resolution.
At ATVE a relapse is reviewed without blame: it is used to adjust what was agreed between sessions.
Antonio Presencia Crespo, therapeutic companion, creator of ATVE.