Rebuilding trust in a relationship worksheet
Trust worksheets give clients a simple way to understand what trust is and how to build it. This article provides an overview of trust and the building blocks to develop trust in relationships.
We’ve included a free downloadable trust worksheets for adults PDF to save to your electronic health record (EHR) and share with clients in your practice.
What is trust?
Trust forms the basis of all social relationships and influences whether we choose to interact with others. As an integral part of communication, trust is crucial to establishing safety in a relationship of any kind, whether that's with a romantic partner or a health care provider. Trusting another person makes it possible to share your feelings, ask for help, and be vulnerable. Trust is also reflected in the core values a person demonstrates, such as being reliable, being respectful, and honoring confidences.
Trusting another person can be a risk, especially if you’ve been hurt by someone breaking your trust previously, such as by disregarding your boundaries or acting dishonestly. When you’ve felt your trust was betrayed, it can be hard to trust another person and their intentions. However, trust is essential to healthy relationships and is worth investing in. In some instances, it's also possible to rebuild trust to repair a relationship. Social relationships are a core human need that contributes to a fulfilling life and a sense of belonging.
How can therapists help clients build trust?
Trust takes time to build. Whether you’re working to earn someone’s trust or deciding whether to extend yours, these values and behaviors play a key role:
Consistency: Showing up for others and keeping your actions, behavior, and communication steady over time.
Accountability: Taking responsibility for your actions, apologizing, or making amends where appropriate.
Humility: Reflecting on your actions and your part in conflict.
Reliability: Being there when others need you and following through on commitments.
Protecting privacy: Keeping private information others share with you to yourself.
Respecting boundaries: Honoring the boundaries others set without pushing back.
Honesty: Sharing openly and truthfully about your thoughts, feelings, and needs without withholding information.
Understanding: Validating others’ points of view and listening actively without interrupting, blaming, or criticizing.
Respect: Showing genuine regard for others, even when you disagree.
Generosity: Assuming the best about others’ actions, behaviors, and intentions.
Congruence: Making sure what you say and what you do line up.
We’ve included this list in our trust worksheets for adults PDF, available below.
How to use the trust worksheets for adults PDF
You can download and use the trust worksheets for adults PDF in several ways:
Use the trust worksheets to provide psychoeducation about interpersonal skills and building trust.
Complete a trust exercise worksheet in session and give the client a copy to take home.
Email a copy of the building trust worksheets PDF to the client.
Ask the client to reflect on the worksheet, complete the reflection questions between sessions, and report their findings at their next therapy appointment.
Use the prompts in the worksheet in group therapy sessions to encourage clients to share with other participants how they’ve been learning to trust others.
Combine this worksheet with other relational worksheets, such as our 10 green flags in a relationship, conflict resolution worksheets, assertive communication examples, “I statements” worksheet, and boundaries exploration worksheet.
Share the worksheet with coworkers or leave copies in your office for clients to take home.
Use the trust worksheets for adults PDF to provide training to interns or supervisees on couples therapy or the importance of conflict and repair in relationships.
Sources
Brown, B. (2018). The Seven Elements of Trust.
Hancock, P. A., Kessler, T. T., Kaplan, A. D., Stowers, K., Brill, J. C., et al. (2023). How and why humans trust: A meta-analysis and elaborated model. Frontiers in Psychology.
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