It’s back to school time and I hope the transition from summer back to school hasn’t been too stressful for you! It can be difficult for everyone to readjust back to the school life as our schedules become more and more hectic as the year goes on. As time seems to fly by, I love incorporating songs about what day and month it is. Not only does it help lead into the session, it is a great way to orient the client. I also like to include the weather and how they feel at that moment. Checking in with the client and asking them how they feel, not only helps me know how they feel coming into the session, but it helps the client in identifying and expressing their feelings. Once we’ve established how they feel we can then use that information as a jumping off point in the session. Not only do I use these prompts in my sessions, I actually have a similar board for my daughter at home. It helps her observe what’s around her and we can then talk about what she sees and feels that day. I’ve created a visual aid to assist in doing just that. On the visual aid, it asks the person what day and month it is, then asks how they feel and what the weather is today. It would be great to allow the client to circle or point to their answer and then go into further detail about it. I hope this can be helpful in your sessions as it is in mine!
Sara Chigani, MA, MT-BC
