Feedback keeps us connected with the client and their experience, creating a trusting therapeutic relationship which is a core component of any effective therapy.

Scott Miller is the champion of feedback, and his FIT [feedback informed therapy] has been accepted as an evidence based approach.

There are many ways of eliciting feedback. We can ask, we can observe, we can discover.

Asking can be verbal “What’s happening now?”, “What is different now compared with when we began today’s session?”, “What’s different since we spoke last?”, etc.. It can also be written as in Scott Miller’s SRS and ORS - 2 easily administered analog scales which are available as a free download from his website. Many people use his scales and value the feedback that results.

I prefer the old fashioned way of asking. 

Erickson was a keen observer, and said the three most important skills for us to learn are to observe, to observe, and to observe. 

Observing can be fascinating and not always comfortable. If we are inviting someone into some experience and we see them frown, turn up their nose, turn down the corners of their mouth, grit their teeth, clench their fists, go pale or flush, then this is instant feedback which allows us to ask what’s happening, ask if it’s Ok, and change tack or proceed accordingly. The relationship can be maintained and we can remain more or less following the client’s direction rather than going off on our own, however “wise” that may be.

If you’re interested, next time you’re with a client ask randomly “What’s happening now?” and be willing to be surprised. Also, if you’re interested, keep an eye out for subtle changes in body posture, breathing or facial colour.