People Unsure, Multiple People

Ginny, you feel nobody pays much attention to you, and Peter, everyone pays too much attention to you. Now, I may not have repeated everything, but I think that catches some of the main areas. Did I miss any big ones?” Another common closing tool for many theoretical orientations is the homework assignment. This might involve communication time, journaling, charting behaviors, going on dates, reading, listening to instructional tapes, or any number of activities. The important thing to remember is that your opening explanation of how you work should alert the couple or family to the notion that you would be asking them to do something between sessions.

Finally, in closing with multiple people, try to acknowledge that their lives will continue to intersect after the session. You may want to devise a short statement, the essence of which communicates “This will be different at home.” An example is: “Being in counseling together, with me here to guide, ask questions, and even boss people around, is obviously different from when you are together at home. We’ve talked about some areas that are really troubling and hard. I’m sure you’ll continue talking about them at home, but I hope you will remember to try some of the guidelines we’ve used today. If it gets too damaging, or too hard, we’ll have more time to work on things next week. It’s okay if everything doesn’t get solved at once.” 358 Interviewing Special PopulationsTermination As noted earlier, working with couples and families is complex simply because of the number of people involved. In some situations, it can be complicated to schedule the next meeting, so a few minutes for this need should be allocated at the session’s end. It is awkward and unprofessional to run out of time and leave people unsure of when the next meeting time is.