Externalizing the Problem

Therapist Dan Lawson shows you how to externalize your client's problem to empower them and assist in collaboration toward treatment goals.

[Escekar]

I really liked how you explained that... thank you for the new thoughts...!

[gregorybrian]

Funny thing: I found this video because I was looking for insights on how we externalize problems by blaming other people for being the that problem itself. But now I realize that THAT is probably “projection.”

[eponymoususer]

Why are you asking your clients to be aggressive with their negative feelings? You use a very oppositional narrative- asking them to attack or deceive that feeling. It seems most likely to me that this approach would exacerbate the feeling by creating an internal fight that wouldn’t have a diplomatic solution.

I knew a man with Tourette’s that said if he fought his tics, they were worse... so he chose to surrender safely and accept them instead. I’ve found this to be similar with physical manifestations of emotion as well. Have you?

I appreciate the “making friends with the bad feeling” sort of approach you mention at the end. You seem to gloss over it a bit. Do you have less success with this method?

What do you see as the up and down sides of these approaches for patients?

How do you select which approach you use?