Emotionally focused therapy / EFT-A15-3
Trust in Small Moments — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about trust in small moments while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Alex and Sam agree to clarify weekend plans by a mutually chosen time.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. Trust may be supported by observable consistency rather than promises alone.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore trust in small moments using an ordinary or fictional example? We can adapt it, observe, or stop." Ask what the person wants from the conversation.
Elicit before teaching
Ask: "How does this show up, if at all, in your own words?" Offer this idea tentatively: Trust may be supported by observable consistency rather than promises alone. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Choose a small agreement, a realistic limit, and a check-in about its impact. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Alex and Sam agree to clarify weekend plans by a mutually chosen time.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: How will you learn whether this agreement helps? Avoid assigning motives or interpreting silence as agreement.
Respond to a mismatch
If the person rejects the frame, say: "Thank you for correcting it. What would be more useful?" Return to their language or choose a different approach.
Close with agency
Ask which observation, question, or support request the person wants to keep. Confirm a manageable ending and appropriate follow-up; do not turn a tentative possibility into a homework obligation.
Prompts for this resource
- Readiness, permission, cultural context, and access needs to check:
- How will you learn whether this agreement helps?
- What would tell me to adapt, stop, or seek supervision?
Conceptual background
What is EFT? — International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.