Open Questions
"I had a few meetings at work that took up most of my energy this week. I didn't really get to the gym like I planned, but I'm hoping to go tomorrow."
Open question?
"What's it like when being busy at work cuts into your free time?"
"I just can't seem to catch a break lately. It's all too much."
Reflection of feeling?
"You're feeling really overwhelmed lately."
"Ever since the breakup, I don't really feel like myself anymore."
Paraphrase?
"Things have really changed for you since your breakup."
"We finally got around to fixing the leaky faucet in the kitchen. I also rearranged some furniture in the living room."
You choose!
"What's it like to have these things at home taken care of?"
"My mom and I got into a huge fight, and I ended up leaving and staying at a friend's place."
Open question?
"What was the fight about?"
"I just keep procrastinating about my homework, and then I beat myself up over it. Then I end up just scrolling on TikTok for hours, and I don't know how to stop."
Reflection of feeling?
"Sounds like you're feeling frustrated that you haven't figured out how to stop scrolling yet."
"I know I hate my job and I want to quit, but I have no idea what I actually want to do. I don't even know what I'm good at really."
Paraphrase?
"You want to quit your job, but you're not sure what you want to do instead."
"I went to a friend's birthday dinner over the weekend. It was nice to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while."
You choose!
"Could you tell me more about how you were feeling at the dinner?"
"I just retired after working for over 30 years, and I thought I'd feel free, but instead I feel kind of lost. I didn't realize how much of my identity was wrapped up in my job."
Open question?
"How would you describe your identity without including your job?"
"We just moved here for my partner's job, and I haven't made any friends. I have nobody to talk to here."
Reflection of feeling?
"Sounds like you're feeling lonely."
"My psychiatrist recently diagnosed me with ADHD, and it's kind of blowing my mind. So many things from the past are starting to make sense."
Paraphrase?
"This ADHD diagnosis is helping you understand what was happening for you in the past."
"I had lunch with my cousin, and we talked about maybe planning a weekend trip together soon. It's just an idea and I don't know if we'll have time to get away from our kids, but it was fun to think about."
You choose!
"If you could go anywhere for a weekend with your cousin, where would you go?"