Intervention
Interruption Planner
Prepare the specific language, timing, and purpose of an interruption before a session with a client who talks without pause.
This worksheet helps therapists prepare a clinical interruption — not a reaction to a difficult session, but a deliberate redirect toward something specific. Used before the session, it ensures the interruption is purposeful, that the language is precise, and that the therapist is ready to respond to whatever the client does next.
Complete this worksheet in the five to ten minutes before a session with a client who consistently talks without pause. Do not improvise the interruption language — prepared language lands as a clinical move; improvised language tends to land as a rebuke. Review the repair language before entering the session.
Interruption Planner
Client (initials or identifier): _______________ Session date: _______________
What the interruption is directed toward The clinical direction — not what to stop, but what to redirect toward. What matters most for this session?
The interruption language Write out the specific words you will use. A full sentence, ready to deliver.
Check: Does this language name what you’re moving toward, not just what you’re stopping?
- Yes
- Needs revision: _______________________________________________
The trigger What will the client say or do that cues the redirect? Be specific — not “when they go off-topic” but “when they return to the work story for the third time.”
Physical signal (if applicable) Will you use a gesture, a slight lean forward, or a change in posture to signal the interruption? Describe.
If the client seems hurt or silenced What repair language will you use if the client goes quiet, looks deflated, or asks if they’re talking too much?
If the client continues over the interruption What will you do if the client doesn’t register the redirect and keeps talking?
The five minutes after the redirect What will you do immediately after the redirect to keep the session on track?
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