Clean language

This article is about questioning technique. For programming language Clean, see Clean (programming language).

Clean language is a technique primarily used in counseling, psychotherapy and coaching but now also used in education, business, organisational change and health.[1] It has been applied as a research interview technique called clean language interviewing.

Clean language aims to support clients in discovering and developing their own symbols and metaphors, rather than the therapist/coach/interviewer suggesting or contributing their own framing of a topic. In other words, instead of "supporting" the client by offering them ready-made metaphors, when the counselor senses that a metaphor would be useful or that a metaphor is conspicuously absent, the counselor asks the client, "And that's like what?" The client is invited to invent their own metaphor.

Clean language was devised by David J. Grove [fr] in the 1980s as a result of his work on clinical methods for resolving clients' traumatic memories.[2] Psychotherapist Cei Davies Linn was closely involved in the early evolution and development of Grove's work such as Clean Language and Epistemological Metaphors.[3][4][5] Grove realized many clients were describing their symptoms in metaphors drawn from the words of previous therapists, instead of from their own experience.[6]

Clean language also is the basis for symbolic modeling, a stand-alone method and process for psychotherapy and coaching developed by James Lawley and Penny Tompkins; for clean space;[7] and for systemic modelling, applied in organisational development.[8] Clean language can also be used in addition to a therapist or coach's existing approach.[9]

  1. ^ Lawley, J. & Tompkins, P. (2000). Metaphors in Mind: Transformation Through Symbolic Modelling. Developing Company Press, London, ISBN 0953875105
  2. ^ Grove, David J. & Panzer, Basil I. (1989) Resolving Traumatic Memories: Metaphors and Symbols in Psychotherapy. Irvington, New York ISBN 0829024077
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pincus & Sheikh 2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Philip Harland (2009). The Power of Six: A Six Part Guide to Self Knowledge. Wayfinder Press. ISBN 978-0-9561607-0-6. OCLC 980603921. Wikidata Q113559904.
  5. ^ Gina Campbell (2015). Panning for Your Client's Gold: 12 Lean Clean Language Processes. Balboa Press. ISBN 978-1-5043-2927-9. Wikidata Q113646355.
  6. ^ Lawley, J. & Tompkins P. (2001). "Metaphors In Mind: A Case Study" Archived 7 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Anchor Point Vol. 15, No. 5, May 2001.
  7. ^ Lawley, J. & Manea, A.I. (2017). "The Use of Clean Space to Facilitate a 'Stuck' Client: a Case Study" Archived 19 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Journal of Experiential Psychotherapy, 20(4):62–70.
  8. ^ Doyle, N., Tosey, P. & Walker, C. (2010). "Systemic Modelling: Installing Coaching as a Catalyst for Organisational Learning". Organisations & People, Vol. 17. No. 4, Winter 2010.
  9. ^ Owen, Ian R. (1989). "Beyond Carl Rogers: The Work of David Grove". Holistic Medicine, 4:4, 186–196, doi:10.3109/13561828909046386