Ирина Архипова – English for Psychotherapy and Counselling: Handbook for Practitioners. Английский для психотерапии и консультирования: практическое руководство (страница 18)
• Questions: Did + subject + main verb?
• Wh-questions: When/Where/Why + did + subject + main verb?
Examples from Assessment:
✓ When did your symptoms first start?
✓ The client experienced anxiety attacks for the first time in 2020.
✓ She didn’t seek help until last month.
✓ Did you have any support during that time?
✓ How did you cope with the loss?
✓ He received therapy three years ago.
Time expressions with Past Simple:
• yesterday, last week/month/year, ago, in 2020, when I was…, at that time
Exercise 1: Complete the intake questions
Use the correct form of the verb in brackets:
1. When _______ (do) you first notice these symptoms?
2. How long _______ (do) the symptoms last?
3. _______ (you/try) any strategies to manage the problem?
4. What _______ (happen) after you lost your job?
5. How _______ (you/feel) when that happened?
6. The client _______ (not/experience) depression until recently.
7. He _______ (have) several panic attacks last month.
B. Past Continuous for Background and Context
We use Past Continuous to describe ongoing situations or actions in the past that provide context for events:
Form:
• Affirmative: Subject + was/were + main verb + -ing
• Negative: Subject + wasn’t/weren’t + main verb + -ing
• Questions: Was/Were + subject + main verb + -ing?
Examples from Assessment:
✓ What were you doing when the panic attack started?
✓ She wasn’t sleeping well during that period.
✓ Were you experiencing any stress at work?
✓ He was going through a difficult divorce when the symptoms began.
Using Past Simple and Past Continuous together:
We often use both tenses to show how events relate to each other:
✓ I was driving to work when I had my first panic attack. (Past Continuous for background + Past Simple for main event)
✓ While she was dealing with her mother’s illness, she started having sleep problems. (Past Continuous for context + Past Simple for specific problem)
Exercise 2: Past Simple or Past Continuous?
Choose the correct form:
1. When (did the symptoms start / were the symptoms starting)?
2. What (did you do / were you doing) when you felt the anxiety?
3. She (didn’t cope / wasn’t coping) well with the stress at that time.
4. While he (studied / was studying) for exams, he (developed / was developing) insomnia.
5. (Did you experience / Were you experiencing) any major life changes before this?
6. The problems (began / were beginning) when I (worked / was working) at my previous job.
7. (Did she take / Was she taking) medication when she (came / was coming) to see you?
8. They (had / were having) financial difficulties when their relationship (broke down / was breaking down).
C. Question Forms: Open-ended vs. Closed-ended
Closed-ended questions require yes/no or brief factual answers:
✓ Do you have any children?
✓ Are you currently employed?
✓ Have you been hospitalized before?
✓ Did you finish high school?
Open-ended questions encourage detailed, narrative responses:
✓ What brings you here today?
✓ How would you describe your relationship with your family?
✓ What happened when you lost your job?
✓ How have you been coping with these feelings?
Wh-questions for assessment:
• What = specific information about problems, situations, thoughts
• When = timeline, onset, duration
• Where = location, context, settings
• Who = people involved, support system
• How = manner, coping strategies, severity
• Why = reasons, motivation (use carefully – can sound judgmental)
Exercise 3: Rewrite as open-ended questions
1. Are you stressed at work? → _______