Assertiveness Worksheet: Mastering the ASSA Technique for Greater Client Agency

Download this free therapy worksheet to upskill your client in assertiveness skills

Assertiveness is an essential skill for maintaining personal agency and influence, as well as being crucial for one’s mental health, relationships, and overall behaviour. This Assertiveness Worksheet introduces the ASSA technique, a method to enhance a client’s assertiveness in interpersonal situations. This technique not only bolsters a client’s sense of control, but also empowers them to navigate interactions more effectively.The ASSA technique consists of four key steps:

• Alert: Informing the other person that there is a need to communicate, setting the stage for a respectful interaction.
• State: Clearly articulating the issue using non-emotional, fact-based language.
• Sell: Outlining the benefits of behavioural changes to foster cooperation.
• Agree: Securing agreement on how future interactions will proceed, ensuring both parties are aligned.

With both thought and role play exercises to help clients practise their assertiveness in various situations, this worksheet will help your client build:

• Enhanced communication skills: Clients learn to express their needs clearly and respectfully, reducing misunderstandings and conflicts.
• Increased self-efficacy: Practising assertiveness boosts confidence in their ability to handle interpersonal challenges.
• Improved relationship dynamics: By being assertive, clients can foster healthier, more balanced relationships.

The ‘Assertiveness Worksheet’ with the ASSA technique is designed to help you empower your clients to assert themselves whenever they need to. Through role play exercises and the structured approach of ASSA, clients not only learn what to say, but also how to convey their messages effectively using confident body language and voice modulation.This worksheet is a practical guide to developing more assertive behaviours, benefiting the client’s personal and professional life, as well as their own confidence and mental wellbeing. An editable version of this worksheet is free to members of Uncommon Practitioners’ TV.