A person functioning within ACL 4 High will often be eager to participate in assertiveness training. They may have been told by other people that they need to be more assertive without having any idea what that means. Let the person know ahead of time that assertiveness training will be provided as part of their skills development program.
We may feel stressed when we feel things are being taken from us. This may include opportunities to go out or the right to use our own space as we wish.
Being assertive is saying how we feel without hurting the other person's feelings.
We say:
"I feel … when …"
"I would like to … instead."
We need to avoid speaking aggressively. Saying, "I hate you because you won't let me go out" will upset the other person and make the argument worse. Run through a few scenarios with the person. Several practices over a few weeks is required so the skill is rote learnt into the person's procedural memory. Monthly reinforcement by practices is required to prevent fading of this skill.