Reframing

Reframing isn’t ignoring problems but seeing a different point of view about how things may be. It is like seeing things from a different angle. Reframing offers people alternative ways of viewing difficult situations. It involves putting a different perspective on things that are concerning, worrying or problematic. An example could be someone saying, “I just feel anxious all the time and it’s getting worse. There’s so much going on I feel so out of control and no one will help they just leave all to me .” A  re-frame could be something like, “I hear what you are saying and it sounds like others rely on you. Perhaps they see you as someone who is very helpful, valuable and capable”.

We can validate, even normalize these things, let the person you know that we have heard them without dismissing these problems at all.

if you think about it sometimes we view our problems as if looking down through a toilet roll tube. All we can see is what’s at the end of the tube. If we take the tube away we can still see the problem but also everything else in our peripheral vision. We have more support, resources and choices than sometimes we think.

 

Tags: anxiety, counselling, reframing