ABSTRACT
This chapter points out that the therapist needs to create a focus related to the client’s problem, goal and solution or related just to the goal and solution. It discusses the natural human tendency to wander away from a focus, especially in conversations, and argue that polite, respectful interruption is what the therapist should do if the client departs from the agreed session focus. The chapter considers why therapists may have a problem with interrupting their clients and what they need to do about it. It concludes by considering what to do if the client departs from an agreed focus by not answering the therapist’s key questions. If the SST therapist asks the client a vital question within the created session focus, and the client does not answer the question, then the therapist needs to bring this to the client’s attention and invite the client to give an answer.
