How to Coach Yourself and Others Coaching Families

The use of particular types of circular questioning at different stages of the therapy will be highlighted throughout the manual. The time scale of circular questions often changes fluidly between the past, present, future. Examples of circular questions: About another’s state / behaviour / beliefs  What do you think John is feeling?  What do you think John is feeling when he shouts at you?  What ideas do you think John might have about that? Offering alternative perspectives  What does John think of your school performance?  If I asked a teacher what would they say about it? About relationships  direct :  indirect : Do the girls really dislike each other? How do the children react when they see you arguing? Circular Definitions  When you and John raise your voices and Jill starts crying what does John do then? Hypothetical and future-oriented questions  What will you think in 5 years time?  If you were to believe that attending to lifestyle changes would make a difference to your cardiac condition, would that make you feel more inclined to quit smoking?  When you think about your health 5 years from now, what is your greatest concern? Miracle question:  Imagine you woke up tomorrow morning and all the difficulties you were experiencing currently had disappeared, how would things be different? What effect would that have upon your relationship with x? Ranking or Scaling Questions, also named “difference questions”:  Who is most likely to get upset when father is away, and who next is most upset?  Was there more communication between you before or after the heart attack last year?  On a scale of one to ten, how close do you think James and Sue feel when they argue?  Who worries the most about the angina attacks, your husband or yourself? Behavioural effect questions:  When your husband tells you to stop working and rest during your angina attacks, what do you do?  When your husband shows that he is worried about you, what does that say to you and what effect does that have on your own behaviour? Triadic questions  If your daughter were here, what would she tell me about how the heart disease has affected your relationship as a couple?  What would your husband say the physician's greatest concern about your health is at this time? 13. MONADIC, DIADIADIC AND TRIADIC QUESTIONS Direct questions asked by a therapist to a client are called monadic questions. Monadic denotes the number one (i.e., the client). “What is it like to be in jail?” is a monadic question. 267

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