Clarification — Mentalization-Based Treatment

A second-level intervention aimed at clarifying the factual and emotional details of the client's experience. In MBT, clarification is not just gathering facts, but inquiring how the client understands their own and others' mental states in a concrete situation. The aim — to help the client slow down and look at their experience more attentively.

Step-by-step guide

Quickly establish the facts of the situation: when it happened, who was present, what is the context
Clarify the sequence of events: what happened first, what next
Ask about the client's inner state at each key moment: "What did you feel when."
Clarify how the client understood the other person's behavior: "Why do you think they acted this way?"
Highlight any discrepancies between the facts and the client's interpretation
Give a brief summary: "If I understand correctly, what happened is this."

When to use

After empathic validation, when the client is stable and ready for inquiry
When the client's narrative is tangled, chaotic, or contradictory
When the client mixes facts and interpretations

Key phrases

Help me understand — what exactly happened?

Follow-up questions

When he said this, what did you feel at that moment?

You said he was angry. What exactly did he do or say that led you to think so?

Alternative phrasings

I want to make sure I am understanding you correctly. You say that.

Let us go through it in order. What happened first?

Warnings

⚠️ Do not turn clarification into an interrogation — the tone must remain curious and friendly
⚠️ Do not ask "why?" — it provokes rationalization. Instead, ask "what did you feel?" and "how was it for you?"
⚠️ Do not rush to interpretations — clarification should help the client to see the picture more clearly themselves

Source: Bateman A.W. Fonagy P. (2016). Mentalization-Based Treatment for Personality Disorders