Assessment
Client Language Capture Log
Record the specific words, metaphors, and phrases a client uses most consistently — the raw material for building reframes that land.
This worksheet helps therapists document the specific language patterns of a particular client — their recurring phrases, their metaphors, their vocabulary for what matters to them. A reframe built from the client’s own language feels to the client as if they thought of it themselves. A reframe built from the therapist’s language does not land in the same way.
Begin logging after the first two or three sessions. Review before building any reframe for this client. Update as new phrases and patterns emerge. The log is cumulative — more entries across more sessions produce a richer vocabulary base.
Client Language Capture Log
Client (initials or identifier): _______________ Log start date: _______________
Recurring phrases about the presenting problem What exact words and phrases does this client use most consistently when talking about the problem? Record verbatim.
Session / phrase:
Language for what they want What exact words does the client use for the outcome they are seeking? What does “better” look like in their language?
Spontaneous metaphors What images and comparisons does the client reach for without prompting? Record the metaphor and the context in which it appeared.
Metaphor: _______________________________________________ Context: _______________________________________________
Metaphor: _______________________________________________ Context: _______________________________________________
Metaphor: _______________________________________________ Context: _______________________________________________
Words for what they value most When the client talks about what matters to them — relationships, work, their sense of themselves — what words do they reach for?
Vocabulary and register notes What does the client’s language tell you about how to build a reframe they will recognize?
Level of formality (formal / conversational / colloquial): _______________________________________________
Specificity (concrete and specific / abstract and general): _______________________________________________
Emotional register (measured and reserved / expressive / something in between): _______________________________________________
Words or phrases that should appear in any reframe for this client:
Words or phrases to avoid in reframes for this client:
Reframe vocabulary — build from these entries Using the material above, list the key words and phrases to incorporate when building a reframe for this client:
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