Use this page as a reminder, not a scorecard. There is no total that establishes readiness, and checking every item does not make a metaphor necessary. The checklist is an original teaching aid for trained clinicians; it is not a validated assessment or a substitute for an individualized treatment plan.
Before offering an image or question, consider the following.
- Is there a reason to intervene?
- What is the client actually saying?
- Does safety need direct attention?
- Can the person remain sufficiently present and choose?
- Is this within my competence?
- Does the image fit this person's language?
- Am I adding an unsupported conclusion?
- Can I say less?
- Am I ready to follow the response?
Why this, why now, and what if it does not fit?
1. Is there a reason to intervene
What suggests an actual processing block? Have I confused distress, repetition, or silence with lack of movement? Could the client be making a meaningful connection that needs time rather than language from me?
If uncertain: Observe and assess within your training before selecting a prompt.
2. What is the client actually saying
Am I working with the client's meaning or my interpretation of it? Does “It was my fault” refer to causation, an action they regret, failure to prevent harm, or a global judgment about who they are? Have I asked enough to know?
If uncertain: Clarify rather than giving a metaphor that answers a different question.
3. Does safety need direct attention
Is there a current threat, medical need, safeguarding concern, or risk to self or others? Am I about to reassure the client about something I have not established? Have I considered privacy and the possible consequences of any action implied by the image?
If safety needs attention: Follow the appropriate assessment and response plan. A metaphor cannot certify safety.
4. Can the person remain sufficiently present and choose
Is the client maintaining adequate contact with the present while attending to the material? Can they communicate a wish to stop or change direction? Does an abrupt reduction in distress reflect an understood shift, or does it require assessment for disconnection or another concern?
If present orientation or ongoing consent is compromised: Pause memory work and use the established clinical plan. Seek further assessment or consultation when needed.
5. Is this within my competence
Do developmental needs, significant dissociation, compulsions, impaired reality testing, cognitive changes, or coexisting medical concerns require expertise I do not have? Am I trying to solve a formulation problem with better wording?
If competence is the issue: Consult, coordinate care, or refer appropriately. The book does not authorize a specialized intervention.
6. Does the image fit this person's language
Is the reference familiar? Does it respect the client's age, culture, faith, access needs, and own understanding? Could it imply damage, contamination, blame, abandonment, or a duty to grow from suffering? Has the client indicated that imagery is welcome?
If fit is doubtful: Ask permission, use direct language, or leave the image out.
7. Am I adding an unsupported conclusion
Does the question assume a hidden event, another person's motive, the absence of responsibility, or the certainty of future safety? Does it push forgiveness, reconciliation, disclosure, leaving, or staying? Would I accept an answer that changes my view?
If the conclusion is built in: Rewrite or do not use it. Imagery and processing responses do not verify historical facts.
8. Can I say less
What is the one useful distinction? Can I ask one brief question instead of explaining an entire story? Have I selected an alternative from the entry rather than treating its prompts as a sequence?
If it needs a long discussion: Consider whether it belongs in preparation or reflective work rather than active processing.
9. Am I ready to follow the response
Can I allow relief, sadness, anger, uncertainty, disagreement, or no immediate change? Can I drop the image without defending it? Do I know how I will recognize a need to reassess rather than continue?
If I need the client to agree: Pause and examine my own aim before speaking.
The shortest version
Ask yourself: Why this, why now, and what if it does not fit?
“Why this” connects the prompt to the client's actual difficulty. “Why now” checks timing, safety, readiness, and consent. “What if it does not fit” keeps the intervention provisional and the client free to respond honestly.
After speaking, listen. Do not use the checklist to scrutinize the client's performance. Use it to examine your own clinical choices, including the choice not to intervene.
The book has offered many images. None is more important than accurate assessment, a responsive relationship, and the person's authority to tell you what their experience means. Sometimes a brief question helps the work continue. Sometimes the useful act is to stop explaining and stay present.