Ирина Архипова – English for Psychotherapy and Counselling: Handbook for Practitioners. Английский для психотерапии и консультирования: практическое руководство (страница 22)

• Have you had any thoughts of harming yourself?

• Have you had thoughts of ending your life?

• Tell me about your alcohol use.

Showing Empathy and Building Rapport:

• That sounds very difficult.

• I can understand why that would be distressing.

• Thank you for sharing that with me.

• It takes courage to talk about these things.

• You’re not alone in experiencing this.

Clarifying and Following Up:

• Can you tell me more about that?

• What do you mean by…?

• Help me understand…

• Can you give me an example?

• How did that make you feel?

Transitioning Between Topics:

• Now I’d like to ask about a different area…

• Let’s talk about your work situation…

• I’d like to shift to discussing your family background…

• Moving on to another topic…

Closing the Session:

• We’re coming to the end of our time today.

• Let me summarize what I’ve heard…

• Based on what you’ve shared, I think we can work on…

• What questions do you have for me?

• Let’s schedule our next appointment.

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Create Your Opening Statement

Write your opening statement for an initial assessment session. Include:

• Introduction

• Explanation of confidentiality

• Structure of the session

• Invitation for questions

Exercise 2: Sequence the Assessment

Put these assessment components in the most logical order:

a) Risk assessment

b) Introduction and informed consent

c) Psychosocial history

d) Mental status examination

e) Presenting problem

f) Summary and treatment planning

Exercise 3: Open-Ended Question Practice

For each closed-ended question, write an open-ended alternative. There may be more than one variant:

1. Do you get along with your family?

2. Are you stressed?

3. Did you like school?

4. Do you have friends?

5. Are you taking any medications?

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Exercise 4: Case Formulation – The Four Ps

Read this brief case and identify the Four Ps:

Tom is a 28-year-old software developer presenting with symptoms of depression. His father had depression, and Tom experienced bullying in high school. Three months ago, Tom’s long-term relationship ended, and shortly after, he began experiencing low mood, loss of interest, and sleep problems. Tom has been isolating himself from friends, spending most evenings alone, and has stopped exercising – activities that previously helped his mood. However, Tom has a supportive sister, a stable job, and expressed motivation to feel better.

Predisposing factors: _______

Precipitating factors: _______

Perpetuating factors: _______

Protective factors: _______

Exercise 5: Role-Play Assessment Practice

Work in groups of three: Psychologist, Client, Observer.

Instructions:

• Psychologist: Conduct a 10-minute initial assessment focusing on presenting problem

• Client: Use one of the scenarios provided or create your own

• Observer: Note down question types used, rapport-building techniques, and areas that could be explored further

After the role-play, the observer provides feedback.

Vocabulary and Collocations for Unit 3

presenting problem – предъявляемая проблема