Part 3 - Focusing Flashcards
From the get-go, the client and the practitioner have the same agenda. What stage should you start at?
In practice, when the focus of consultation is clear you move straight into the evoking and planning processes.
What are some signs it may be time to revisit the focusing process with your client?
Every time you wonder where to go next, which avenue to go down, or notice a disengaging client, it may be time to revisit the focusing process.
What does it mean to resist the righting reflex?
Resisting the righting reflex ( Chapter 1 ) means that you hold back from solving problems for clients and actively support their efforts to do this for themselves.
The client seems to be going in circles and you need to find a focus. How might you headline and focus the conversation?
“I’d like to pause for a moment [demarcating the metaconversation] and just check in with you on how you are feeling about this discussion so far. You’ve mentioned a number of topics and I’m wondering what’s going to be most useful to you. Of all the things you’ve mentioned, what do you think we should focus on as most important?”
How might you ask a client to frame the goals of a working relationship with you? (MI)
A good place to start, I think, is to get clearer about our goals in working together.
If our work together were really successful from your perspective, what would be different?
How might you re-focus a client who asks for information about a certain option too early in the process?
“That’s one possibility, but let’s talk first about where you want to go before we consider how to get there.”
What is agenda mapping and how might it be useful?
Agenda mapping is a metaconversation by which you step back for a short time to consider with the client the way ahead.
Agenda mapping can also be useful when changing direction, getting unstuck, raising a difficult topic, or clarifying roles.
A client is already prepared to make a change. How much time should you devote to focusing and evoking?
If a client already has a clear goal and is prepared to pursue it, the objectives of the focusing and evoking processes have been accomplished and there is little obvious reason to spend time building motivation.
In this situation one would go directly to the planning process after engaging sufficiently to form a working alliance.
