DNA-V in Practice: A Session-Based Resource Pack for Behaviour Analysts

You know your client needs more than a behaviour reduction plan.

The young person who refuses school, walks out when criticised, or shuts down when their thoughts get loud also needs skills: noticing what's happening inside, stepping back from a harsh inner voice, and moving toward what matters even when it's hard.

DNA-V is one of the best frameworks available for teaching those skills. The trouble is that most DNA-V material is written for therapists and teachers. It rarely links to function, rarely gives you measurable goals, and rarely helps when a young person's language skills don't match the activity in front of you.

This pack closes that gap.

What's inside

This is a 162-page pack with 24 ready-to-deliver sessions, organised around the four DNA-V skills:

• Discoverer: trying new things, learning from trial and error, and handling uncertainty.
• Noticer: tuning in to body sensations and feelings, and pausing before reacting.
• Adviser: recognising the inner voice, and stepping back from unhelpful rules and self-criticism.
• Values: connecting with what matters, so hard things feel worth doing.

Each session includes:

• the difficulties it tends to help with, such as school refusal, anxiety spirals, absconding and self-criticism
• why the activity works, session goals and preparation notes
• a script you can deliver as written or adapt
• an experiential activity with printable worksheets
• a "Give it a go!" home practice sheet

You'll also find:

• An introduction written for behaviour analysts. It explains DNA-V in behavioural terms (contingency-shaped behaviour, tacting private events, rule-governed behaviour, motivating operations), with plain-language explanations for colleagues outside ABA.
• Guidance on adapting for complex language needs. This covers prerequisite repertoires to check, how to lower the verbal load, and which sessions need care with literal thinkers or high shame.
• A goal bank. Measurable example goals for every skill area, including prerequisite and generalisation goals, each linked to the sessions that teach it.
• A Quick Guide. In-the-moment DNA-V prompts for parents and school staff, including what to say, and what not to, during a crisis.
• A clickable list of activities, so you can move around the pack easily.

Includes the DNA-V Programme Planner

Your purchase includes free access to the DNA-V Programme Planner, an interactive companion tool that works in any browser on a computer, tablet or phone. For each client, you can:

• record function and presenting concerns
• check language readiness across six prerequisite skills, and see which sessions are ready to use, need adapting, or are best held for later
• build an ordered session plan, with sequencing notes and a view of balance across the four skills
• choose goals from the bank and set your own mastery criteria
• log session data and see progress graphed, with assent withdrawals recorded separately rather than counted as missed trials
• print a programme summary for supervision or team meetings

Client data stays in your browser on your device and is never sent anywhere. The link is inside the pack.

Who it's for

The pack is written for BCBAs, UKBA(cert)s, BCaBAs and UKiBAs working with young people. It's also useful for psychologists, SENCOs, pastoral leads and other professionals who want a structured, trauma-informed way to build psychological flexibility. The technical content always comes with a plain-language explanation, so it works across a multidisciplinary team.

Every session is grounded in the Berkshire Method: connection and regulation first, assent-based practice, and skills taught alongside function-based intervention, never instead of it.

Good to know

• This is an instant PDF download with printable worksheets.
• The purchase is a licence for one practitioner. For team or service-wide use, please get in touch.
• The activities are adapted, with attribution, from The Thriving Adolescent (Hayes & Ciarrochi, 2015) and Your Life, Your Way (Ciarrochi & Hayes, 2020). This pack is an independent resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by DNA-V International.

About the author

Leticia Tomsik, UKBA(cert), BCBA, is the founder of Berkshire Behaviour Consultancy and a Behaviour Lead within a UK Local Authority. Her work combines behaviour analysis, ACT, and DNA-V, assent-based practice, and trauma-informed care, supporting young people, families, and the professionals around them.

If you'd like ongoing support and new resources as they're released, the Calm Circle membership is there whenever you're ready.