Therapy Exercise for Perspective Taking to Enhance Communication & Connection w/ Dr. Kate Truitt

In this psychoeducational video, Dr. Kate Truitt explains that being open to reflecting on how our own actions are impacting the other person is not something we naturally know how to do. It is a skill that we learn typically through the modeling taught to us by our caregivers; however, it can also be learned later in life.

Dr. Kate then walks us through the therapeutic exercise called Stepping into Another’s World, which requires practicing zooming out from an interaction. Once we’ve zoomed out, we should start making a mental list of everything we know about the other person. What do they like? What has their life been like? Who are they? Then we zoom back in and step into their world, observing the interaction from their side. Why might they be interacting with us this way?

She asks us to notice that none of the information we are sourcing is about us--it’s about everything this person has taught us about who they are and their life. She adds that we can verify our information is correct by utilizing reflective listening. Even if we are completely wrong, we will be allowing the other person to feel seen.

This is important because in difficult moments, we tend to tell stories about other people’s motives. The stories tend to align with our emotional truth instead of the other person’s. This can impair communication and allow for people to not be truly seen.

The more we practice this perspective taking skill, the more equipped we will be in a moment where we’re feeling emotionally activated or having a difficult conversation.

#CommunicationSkills #RelationshipsTips #TherapyTools

Dr. Kate Truitt is a clinical psychologist, neuroscientist, as well as holds a MBA in Healthcare Administration. She is the CEO of the Trauma Counseling Center of Los Angeles, Chairman of the Board of the Amy Research Foundation, and leads her flagship organization Dr. Kate Truitt & Associates located in Pasadena, CA. Her teams of expert psychologists and psychotherapists provide individual therapy, group therapy, executive coaching, and neurofeedback throughout California via telehealth.

© 2021 by Dr. Kate Truitt All rights reserved. No part of this video may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright holder.

[lenavirgilio]

Great tip! Practical and usable! Thank you!