Gestalt work / GST-A05-3
Saying I Notice — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about saying i notice while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Rae says everyone makes meetings impossible and also notices feeling rushed.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. First-person language can clarify experience without assigning blame.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore saying i notice 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: First-person language can clarify experience without assigning blame. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Rewrite three statements as observations of your own experience while retaining environmental and power factors. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Rae says everyone makes meetings impossible and also notices feeling rushed.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: How can ownership of experience coexist with naming real obstacles? 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 can ownership of experience coexist with naming real obstacles?
- What would tell me to adapt, stop, or seek supervision?
Conceptual background
Gestalt Therapy: An Introduction — Gary Yontef
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.