Gestalt work / GST-A12-3
Experiment by Consent — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about experiment by consent while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Rae tries asking a question more slowly in a fictional conversation.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. An experiment is an invitation to learn rather than a performance test.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore experiment by consent 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: An experiment is an invitation to learn rather than a performance test. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Design a reversible 30-second change in wording, seating preference, or pace and agree what to notice. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Rae tries asking a question more slowly in a fictional conversation.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What did you learn, including reasons not to repeat it? 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:
- What did you learn, including reasons not to repeat it?
- 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.