5 steps to help clients define their problems clearly & effectively

In this fast-paced world, individuals experience difficulties coping with challenges and subsequent changes that follow because they might not be a part of our plan. These issues tend to become problematic when they interfere with our day-to-day lives, disrupting them by impacting our emotions and behaviours even negatively.

It is common to want to change these emotions and behaviours and we may try to do it by ourselves. However, what happens most times is that people focus just on changing these behaviours without realising that there is an underlying reason for their occurrence. In this case, it is but natural to experience failure when we try to change the consequent behaviours and emotions. This is because we are not addressing its cause. Sometimes we do not consciously realise that such a cause even exists. As a therapist, it, therefore, becomes essential for one to possess the skill of defining the presenting problem in the case of the client. You might be aware of this, but did you know you could help your clients define their problems clearly and effectively in 5 simple steps?

3 Key components of a problem

To be able to define a problem clearly and effectively, we first need to understand what do we really mean by a clear or effective definition of a problem. A clear or effective definition of a problem can be derived once you understand and hold access to the 3 key components of a problem. What are these key components of a problem? What is it that the client is experiencing or dealing with? Can you think what these key components are?

1. The first component is actually straightforward: The current feeling/emotion that the client is experiencing or the current mental state of the client. It can be a physical feeling like heaviness, pain, restlessness or an emotional feeling like anger, guilt, fear, a state of confusion, feeling overwhelmed, feeling lost. It is this mental state that becomes the primary reason why the client seeks help from a therapist.

2. Second component includes the ‘About’ part of the problem. The current mental state of the client is generally about something or someone. This can involve a person, a situation, a task or an outcome.

3. Third and the final component is the ‘When’ or the period of occurrence. When is it that the client feels the way they feel? This is linked to a trigger. It could be when they see something, hear something, think something; it could be a time of the day or anything else that acts as a trigger.

Now, in most cases, you will notice that a client may actually be in a position to tell you all three components of their problem. That said, in some cases, the line between ‘about’ and ‘when’ of the problem can get a bit blurry and the client may be able to tell you only one of the two. In case that happens, it is okay to begin by dealing with the 2 components, which are in front of us and gradually identify and define the third one.

Keep in mind that the client will not immediately arrive at their 3 components. It can even take them hours of conversation and even after that many a times they may not be able to define the problem clearly or even identify their problem to begin with. Clients may require their therapist’s guidance to identify and understand the problem and the components it possesses. Once we understand these components, with the right set of questions we can help the client define the problem not just clearly but also effectively.

Now, what do we really mean by ‘effectively’? A problem is defined effectively when the client completely resonates with the problem statement. When the client reads it or hears something, which used to be a triggering factor at some point, but now feels at ease and experiences clarity in terms of what is happening with him/her, i.e. they clearly see what the problem is, what is its cause, what are its components and triggers.

What are some advantages of helping clients define problems clearly?

Once you can help the client define the problem clearly in a way that the client resonates with completely, you will notice something changing in the client. The client naturally begins to trust you more and the therapeutic alliance becomes very strong.

Another advantage of defining the problem in such a way is that the client naturally gets more clarity about the outcome they seek to achieve through therapy.

Here are some facts based on real cases!

• A client who has been able to define the problem clearly and effectively in the first session using the format:

I feel… about… when…

Are more than twice as likely to continue with the therapy session until they achieve their outcome as compared to a client who is not able to define their problem in the first session.

• Another fun fact is that you can help the client define their problem in less than 20 minutes with the help of 5 really simple steps.

5 Simple steps to help clients define problems effectively and clearly

Now that we know the key components of a problem, let us look at the 5 super simple steps that can help you facilitate your clients while they try to define their problems quickly and effectively.

The first step is to greet the client at the beginning of the session. Something as simple as “Hi! How are you is a good start”.

The second step is to ask the client “So do let me know what would you like to work with?” In most cases, the client will generally begin with a one or two line answer for this. If the client says, “I am not sure where to start”, you can tell them “whatever is the first thing that comes to your mind, you can begin with that.”

The third step is to ask the client “Would you be able to elaborate on this a bit more?” Let the client give you some more details about the challenges they are facing. Unless the client breaks down and starts crying during this question, give the client around 10 minutes for this. After 10 minutes when the client pauses to think or take a breath, move to the next step. In case the client has an emotional breakdown during this stage, allow them time to share what they want to until they calm down and then move to the next step. No matter what do not stop the session here, complete all the steps of defining the problem in this session.

The fourth Step is to ask the client “Before we go ahead can you please summarise what you have shared till now in a few lines”. When the client summarises, right it down preferably in a way that the client can see this.

Once the client summarises their challenge, the Fifth step is to ask them “Can you please fill in the blanks and convert this summary into the following format: I feel …about …when …

That’s it! in 5 simple steps, you have helped the client define problems clearly and effectively. Next, just to be sure ask the client to read the problem or the current situation statement a couple of times and ask them “Does this describe the problem clearly and completely or would you like to make some changes in this?” If the client says, “This is good” you should know that we are done, but in case the client says I would like to make some changes, ask them to go ahead and make the changes they would like. Once they have made the changes, ask them to read again and check if “this describes the problem clearly and completely?”

Repeat this process till the client says “yes” this describes the problem clearly and completely.

This was super simple, wasn’t it? I have had clients who have been through multiple therapists previously and yet when I do this process with them they are amazed at the clarity they receive at the end of these super-simple steps. I have had clients telling me just after this step that “I am already feeling relieved because I know what I want to work with, I had been struggling for months to be able to understand this.” The best thing about these steps is that they work not just for me but I have had the privilege of training a large number of practitioners who during our follow up sessions tell me how their clients are telling them the same things that my clients tell me. I am sure you would like your clients to say something like this to you, wouldn’t you? The one place where you will not be able to apply these steps as it is is when a client is not even able to give you an initial brief about their problem or situation either because they are not sure what the problem really is or because they don’t feel comfortable enough to talk about their problem. I would also request you to join us in this mission to help mental health practitioners develop advanced therapeutic skills. You can do so by sharing it with your friends and colleagues.

If you are looking for a supervised training program that focuses on developing advanced therapeutic skills, see the courses we (ICHARS) offer on our website. To reach our website, visit our TherapyRoute Profile and click on the link in the contact section at the bottom.