Play The Script Till The End
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Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
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Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
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Introduction & Theoretical Background
Play The Script Till The End was developed by Scott Waltman (PsyD) and Erin Murphy (PsyD) and is a technique for helping clients to identify underlying feared outcomes. When working with anxious clients they found that the vertical arrow (Burns, 1980) or down arrow (Merrell, 2001) techniques would sometimes fall flat and so they developed metaphors of 'playing the tape till the end' or 'playing the script till the end'.
Citation: Waltman, S., Murphy, E. (2016). Play the script till the end. Retrieved from http://psychologytools.com/play-the-script-till-the-end/
Therapist Guidance
Similar to the arrow techniques clients are asked to consider what the consequence would be if one of their fears were to come true, then encouraged to consider the consequence of that consequence and so on - answers often 'bottom out' around a core fear.
References And Further Reading
- Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling good: the new mood therapy. New York: New American Library
- Merrell, K. A. (2001). Helping students overcome depression and anxiety. New York: Guilford
- Citation: Waltman, S., Murphy, E. (2016). Play the script till the end. Retrieved from http://psychologytools.com/play-the-script-till-the-end/