active listening
A way of showing that one is listening to a person who is talking to them by rewording what the other person just said and repeating it back to them. This is supposed to validate the person you are listening to and rephrasing, according to some schools of thought in psychology.
Patient to therapist: I'm really depressed.
Therapist: I see. Yes. You are depressed.
Patient: Nothing is going well.
Therapist: Nothing seems to be going well.
Patient: I feel like killing myself.
Therapist: You're thinking of killing yourself.
Patient: Yes, I'm going to do it NOW.
Therapist: You want to do it now.
Patient: *Jumps out window.*
Therapist: Woosh. Splat.
Therapist: I see. Yes. You are depressed.
Patient: Nothing is going well.
Therapist: Nothing seems to be going well.
Patient: I feel like killing myself.
Therapist: You're thinking of killing yourself.
Patient: Yes, I'm going to do it NOW.
Therapist: You want to do it now.
Patient: *Jumps out window.*
Therapist: Woosh. Splat.
active listening by TheLastPunslinger June 5, 2005
