DBT Skills · Interpersonal Effectiveness

FAST

Fair · no Apologies · Stick to values · Truthful

When you're at risk of leaving the conversation feeling smaller. It’s one of the DBT interpersonal effectiveness skills, and the skills picker can route a client here in the moment.

Not sure this is the right skill?

The free DBT skills picker asks what’s happening right now and routes to a skill to try.

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When to reach for FAST

When you're at risk of leaving the conversation feeling smaller.

How to practice FAST

Ask: what would I tell a friend to do here, to stay solid?
**Fair** to yourself — what's your real position, not the polite version?
**Don't over-apologize** — if you didn't do harm, don't pretend you did.
**Stick to values + Truthful** — say what's true for you, even if it's not what they want.

If it doesn’t help: the DBT skills picker routes next to Self-Validation. Different skills land for different people and moments — trying the next-best fit is part of the method, not a failure.

Tracking FAST on a diary card

Whether a client used FAST — and whether it helped — is exactly what a DBT diary card captures. Recording skill use day by day is how you see, in session, whether interpersonal effectiveness skills are generalizing.

Track skill use for free

Build a custom diary card that tracks the skills you’re working on, or track it digitally in Theracharts.

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FAQ

What is FAST in DBT?

FAST is a DBT interpersonal effectiveness skill. When you're at risk of leaving the conversation feeling smaller.

When should I use FAST?

Reach for FAST when you're at risk of leaving the conversation feeling smaller.

In crisis? Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, US) — free, confidential, 24/7. This page is educational and is not therapy, diagnosis, or a substitute for professional care.