ABSTRACT
The second step of the revised framework is the focus of this chapter. After we have identified a suitable target for Socratic questioning. We seek to develop understanding in both subjective and objective terms (i.e., phenomenological). We next want to focus on trying to understand how the thought or belief makes sense. Ideally, we want to understand the client’s case for believing the cognition. We want to attend to both the subjective and objective elements of the basis for the belief to help us gain an overall feel for the essence of the belief. Attending to and incorporating emotion is an important part of this process. This process can be framed as an exercise in validation and application of collaborative empiricism. Leading with understanding before using change strategies helps the client feel understood, decreases dysregulation of emotion, reduces defensiveness, and helps the therapist understand where promising prospects for expanding the client’s perspective may be found. Later steps will include evaluating the subjective elements of evidence that were gathered in the understanding phase. The reader is presented with the rationale for this step, step-specific strategies, and procedural instructions specific to this step. Case examples demonstrating this step in action are provided.
