ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on positive comments and compliments. Compliments are useful for achieving an agreement on existential choices. Compliments can be used to lead the client from describing problems and symptoms towards exploring healthier and more satisfying behavior that is still there, or that was there in the past. The therapist can show compassion and empathy with a client's suffering by complimenting him or her on coping with a difficult situation. As Gale Miller (1997) states, eco-systemic brief therapists and team members might interpret virtually any aspect of client's statements and behavior during interviews as positive signs. As Yvonne Dolan and T. Pichot (2003) observe, some clients understand compliments as positive criticism. This may bring them to think that the therapist is hiding negative observations. In this case, talking also about the negative aspects makes the positive comments more credible.
