Practice management
Session Structure Template for Verbose Clients
Build a repeatable session architecture for verbose clients — with opening, mid-session check-in, directive slot, and close — that gives the session shape without suppressing what the client needs to bring.
This worksheet helps therapists design a repeatable session structure for clients whose sessions consistently sprawl. Built around Haley’s session architecture, it specifies opening, mid-session, directive, and close protocols tailored to what this specific client’s patterns have shown.
Build this template once, then refine it across three to four sessions. Review it before each session until the structure becomes part of the session’s natural rhythm. A structure that works is one the client eventually internalizes — the session begins to shape itself.
Session Structure Template for Verbose Clients
Client (initials or identifier): _______________ Template version: _______________ Date built / last revised: _______________
OPENING PROTOCOL (first 5 minutes)
Goal: Establish a client-named session anchor before the monologue develops.
Anchor invitation language (specific phrasing):
Time allowed before anchoring: _______________
What to do if the client launches into reporting before the anchor is set:
MID-SESSION CHECK-IN (approximately 20-minute mark)
Goal: Assess whether the session is on-anchor and redirect if not.
When to check in for this client (adjust based on their pattern): _______________
Check-in language (specific phrasing):
What to do if the session is off-anchor:
What to do if the session is on-anchor but the client wants to bring new material:
DIRECTIVE SLOT (when to introduce an in-session task)
Goal: Shift the session from reporting to doing.
Timing — when to introduce a directive for this client: _______________
Types of tasks that have worked for this client:
Types of tasks this client resists:
Language for introducing the task:
CLOSE PROTOCOL (final 5 minutes)
Goal: End with something forward-pointing, not a review of what was said.
Close language (specific phrasing — avoid summarizing the session):
Forward-pointing element (what to leave the client with):
PACING NOTES FOR THIS CLIENT
When to allow the talking to run without redirecting:
When to check in earlier than the standard 20-minute mark:
When to redirect immediately rather than waiting:
REVISION LOG
| Version | Date | What changed | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
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