2. “Go slowly” tactic: Here, the therapist uses a way to slow the clients wish to hurry achieve change. The therapist, of course, has no objection for rapid progress but he intends to achieve client’s activity free of stress. Such an approach emphasizes to the client that the therapist is not “hysterical” to carry out a quick achievement. This direction can be achieved, first of all, by placing modest goals, like:
-“What is the smallest thing you would want to happen as a result of treatment?”;
-“I think it’s better to think in terms of small than too distant goals;
-“Before we decide to go at the direction proposed, better think about it until next week. Maybe, things should be ” cooked” slowly …”
This tactics can be taken, for example, when a customer comes in and states that the past week was terrible. The therapist can point out that the process was apparently too fast and should slow down a little the pace. To illustrate the “slow down pace” the therapist can delay the next meeting for two weeks.
Similarly, the therapist can respond when a customer does not come to meetings. He can tell the customer that he should not speed up the treatment process. And then, appoint the next meeting two weeks later from the last meeting.
Clinical experience suggests that taking such a position paradoxically speeds up the treatment process.