Listens Actively5 min
Hearing What's Not Said
Practice noticing what the client avoids, minimizes, or dances around.
Example
Client talks about work stress but never mentions their partner
✓Effective
'I notice you've shared a lot about work. I'm curious — how is this affecting things at home?'
✗Less Effective
'So what specific work tasks are causing the most stress?'
Why? What people avoid is often where the real issue lives.
Tips for This Exercise
- 1Track topics the client mentions once and then drops
- 2Notice emotion words vs. thinking words
- 3Pay attention to energy shifts — when do they speed up or slow down?
- 4Gently name the gap: 'I notice you haven't mentioned...'
Ready to Practice?
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