Observation Task — BRIEF Therapy | Psychotherapy Library

The client is asked not to change behavior but simply to observe: what happens around the problem, or what is already good in life. This has two effects: it interrupts immediate reactions because the client is busy noticing rather than solving, and it gathers material for the next session. In solution-focused work, the observation is directed toward what works: when things are better, what helps, what the client would like to keep.

Step-by-step guide

Ask: "Before our next meeting, I would like you to observe [specific focus]."
Define the object of observation: what happens when things are better, how others respond, what helps.
Say explicitly: do not change behavior; only notice.
Short notes are optional.
At the next session, begin with: "What did you notice?"

When to use

Early in work, when it is unclear which intervention is needed.
When the client is reactive and needs a pause between stimulus and response.
As a transition before more active tasks.
To strengthen attention to instances of the preferred future.

Key phrases

Between our meetings, I want to ask one thing: notice what exactly happens when things are a little better. Do not change anything; just notice.

Follow-up questions

What happens when you feel better? Who is nearby? What are you doing?

Notice what happens that you would like to continue.

If you can catch it, notice what you are thinking too.

Alternative phrasings

If you want, write it down. We are interested not in judgment but in description: what, when, with whom.

Observe like a scientist: without judgment, just facts.

Warnings

⚠️ The task must be specific, otherwise the client will not know what to observe.
⚠️ Observation itself can change the pattern; that is acceptable.
⚠️ Orient observation toward what works, not only what fails.

Source: de Shazer, 1985; Ratner, George & Iveson, 2012