Practice management
Around-the-IDK Observation Log
Capture the clinical material surrounding 'I don't know' responses — the context, the body signals, and what the client says after — which is often richer than what the question was asking for.
The words and behavior immediately surrounding a client’s “I don’t know” are often more informative than the not-knowing itself. What the client was discussing two minutes before, how they hold their body when the response arrives, and what they say in the minute after frequently contain a version of the answer the direct question didn’t produce.
Complete this log entry immediately after sessions where “I don’t know” was a significant feature. The surrounding material degrades quickly in memory.
Around-the-IDK Observation Log
Client (initials or identifier):
Observation Entry 1
Session date:
The question asked:
What the client was discussing in the two to three minutes before:
Physical signals at the moment of “I don’t know”:
Posture:
( ) Stilled ( ) Shifted ( ) Unchanged ( ) Turned away slightly
Breathing:
( ) Appeared to hold ( ) Quickened ( ) Normal ( ) Slow and deliberate
Eye contact:
( ) Maintained ( ) Broke and returned ( ) Averted ( ) Downward
Other signals:
What the client said in the minute after “I don’t know”:
The therapist’s response and what followed:
Observation Entry 2
Session date:
The question asked:
What came before:
Physical signals:
What came after:
Therapist response and what followed:
Observation Entry 3
Session date:
The question asked:
What came before:
Physical signals:
What came after:
Therapist response and what followed:
Pattern Review (complete after 3 or more entries)
What topics or emotional temperatures consistently appear just before “I don’t know”?
What physical pattern, if any, accompanies the response?
What does the client tend to say or do in the minute after “I don’t know”? Is there a version of the answer in what they say next?
What does the surrounding material tell you that the not-knowing itself doesn’t?
Hypothesis about what the “I don’t know” is adjacent to:
Generated with Rapport7 — rapport7.com