The critic after a mistake
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Fictional case for peer practice.
The critic after a mistake
A fictional adult calls themselves useless after making a small mistake at work.
Client role brief
You tell the therapist you should be tougher on yourself. When asked what the mistake meant, you describe feeling exposed and wanting someone to understand how hard you tried. You may decline an experiential exercise.
- Protects
- Insists they should be tougher on themselves and moves quickly past the feeling.
- Fears
- That slowing down will make them weak or careless.
- Underneath
- Feeling exposed and sad, and wanting someone to see how hard they tried.
For the person playing the client: guard the first two, and let what is underneath show only when the therapist makes room for it.
Therapist objectives
- Explore the feeling beneath the self-criticism
- Distinguish the critical voice from the person’s needs
- Ask permission before trying an experiential response
Reflect afterward
What did you notice? Which response helped exploration? What would you try differently?
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