About this worksheet
ACT's simplest and hardest question: is what you're doing working — in the service of the life you want? Not right or wrong, not fair or unfair. Workable or unworkable. This audit applies the question to one specific behavior. The client names the behavior, what it's trying to do for them short-term (the pay-off is real; workability isn't moralized), and then runs two parallel columns: ways it is working and ways it is not. A friend-question ('if a friend was doing this, what would you say?') introduces perspective without argument. Then the value the behavior is blocking, a smaller-cost alternative that could serve the same short-term need, and willingness to try it this week (0–10). Best used with behaviors the client is already ambivalent about — avoidance, over-work, substance use, screen use, over-eating, over-giving.
When to use it
- Any recurring behavior the client is ambivalent about.
- Avoidance behaviors in anxiety treatment.
- Over-work and workaholism in burnout recovery.
- Substance use in early-recovery ambivalence.
- Screen use, over-eating, over-giving — behaviors that are 'not addiction' but not workable either.
How to use it
- 1
Name the pay-off out loud
The behavior is doing something for the client short-term. Refusing to acknowledge that keeps the client on the defensive.
- 2
Fill both columns, not just the cost one
'Ways it is working' matters. Otherwise the audit becomes an argument the client's inner defender is already ready for.
- 3
Use the friend-question
Introduces perspective without confrontation. Clients name things about their own behavior in the friend column they'll defend in the first column.
- 4
Land on one alternative, not a full plan
One smaller-cost move that could serve the same short-term need. Willingness 0–10 to try it this week.
Frequently asked questions
How is workability different from harm-reduction?+
Workability is a broader ACT frame; harm-reduction is a specific clinical model for substance use. Workability applies to any behavior; harm-reduction is one operationalization of workability.
What if the client says the behavior is fully workable?+
Take it at face value. If it's genuinely workable, they don't need the sheet. If they're rationalizing, the ambivalence will show up in a later session — the sheet plants the frame.
Is this worksheet free?+
Yes. Free printable PDF. Sign in to send as a secure client link.
Worksheet — Behavior Workability Audit — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.
