Practice Exercises: Skills for Exploring Thoughts and Narratives Pretend that a client makes the following statements to you. Read each of these statements, and then write both a restatement and a probe for thoughts. Compare your responses with the possible helper responses provided at the end of this practice exercise. The helper responses that are given are not the "right" or "best," but they are provided to give you some idea of the different possibilities of ways to respond.

Statements 1. Client: "I have a lot of work to do for my classes, but I don't know when I'm going to do it because I have to work 20 hours a week at my job. When I come home from classes and working, I just don't have any energy to do schoolwork. I feel like I need a chance to just 'veg' out and watch TV." Helper restatement: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Helper open question about thoughts: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2. Client: "After I graduate, I am going to take a cross-country trip. At first I was just going to go by myself, but then my roommates heard about it, and both of them said they wanted to go. I rearranged my schedule to accommodate them, and now one of them says he isn't going." Helper restatement: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

Helper open question about thoughts: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 3. Client: "My mother is going through a divorce. She talks to me every night about it, which seems a little odd since I'm only 9 years old. She says she has no one else to talk to. The guy she married after my father left her is a real jerk. He beat her up and is an alcoholic." Helper restatement: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Helper open question about thoughts: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

4. Client: "I'm really having difficulty with my schoolwork right now. I have a hard timeconcentrating because there are so many other things going on. My mother is in the hospital,andI wishIcouldbetheretobewithherbecauseshemaydiesoon.WhenI'mthinkingabouther,it'shardtogetintomywork. ButIknowthatwhatwouldupsethermostisif Igotbadgradesand didn't finish school."

Helperreflectionoffeelings:

Helperdisclosureoffeelings:

Helperopenquestionaboutfeelings:

5. Client:"WhenI'mtryingtosleep,Ikeephearingmyparentsarguing.Itrytohidemyheadunderthepillow, butIstill hearthem."

Helperreflectionoffeelings:

Helperdisclosureoffeelings:

Helperopenquestionaboutfeelings:

6. Client: "My roommate is really nice. I really like her. She is so much like the sister I wish Ihad when I was younger. It's really nice to have somebody to do things with. I was so lonelyon campus last year, but having her as a roommate makes me feel like I belong. She's from areally poor family and she hardly has any money. Fortunately, my parents send me a lot ofmoney,soI'mgladIcansharesomewith her."

Helperreflectionoffeelings:

Helperdisclosureoffeelings:

Helperopenquestionaboutfeelings:

7. Client:"Ijustgotintotheworstfighteverwithmymother.Shewassayingawfulthingstome, like I would never succeed in school because I'm lazy. I got so angry at her, I wasshaking. I just don't know what to say to her when she does that. Why can't she besupportivelikemyfriends'mothers?"

Helperreflectionoffeelings:

Helperdisclosureoffeelings:

Helperopenquestionaboutfeelings: