Journal October 2026 Special DISPUK Release_Full Version - Flipbook - Page 25
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I put the markers away, gather the glasses and cups onto the tray, and check to
make sure the photo of today9s poster—which I took and emailed to myself—has
arrived. As I carry the tray down to the kitchen, all sorts of thoughts hit me: What
could I have done differently? I wonder what Thomas and Mia took away from
today9s conversation? What did I do that surprised me in a good way? And in a
bad way? Did I rush the conversation a bit too much? And what should we talk
about at the next meeting?
Back at my desk, I open my email and print out the photo of the chart from the
conversation. As I sit at my desk, Thomas and Mia appear in my mind: he with a
certain air of resilience and hope, but also pain over the situation; she with a
shifty gaze and anguish. I see myself there too, sitting there after dropping my
kids off at school that same morning, a bit out of breath as I welcomed the couple
with a certain degree of anticipation about what kind of process I was about to
delve into.
I glance at the watch that has inevitably become a part of my life as a therapist. I
have 30 minutes left before my next appointment. In my mind, I begin a
conversation with myself about what lies ahead of the conversation, what the
outcome was, and what I might have wanted to do that could have steered the
conversation in a slightly different direction than it took. The inner dialogue
continues to revolve around what I might have done to amplify and reinforce the
moving moments in the conversation, in the hope of making them more
sustainable after the conversation ends.
I can already feel the ticking of the clock, and I make a choice in the same way I
always do in conversations.
Taking a breath, I begin to write:
Dear Thomas and Mia,
As part of my sessions with you, I always write a short letter
afterward. The letter consists of the sentences you9ve said that stand
out to me and what I9ve come to think about. I9ll bring the letter to
For Me, Starting a Conversation Without a Letter Feels Like I9m Only Half a Therapist
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, October 2026 Special Release, p. 23-47
www.journalcnt.com
