Realization: the structure of Therapist Questions is in part a specific way of moving a conversation along without having to overtly show any of the therapist's actual thoughts.

Being obviously wrong or misunderstanding is weird and off-putting, so direct input is only given at specific points.

("how does that make you feel?" being the archetypal Therapist Question.)

It can legit be a really useful way to approach certain kinds of conversations, but recognizing the functions and limits of that style of communication is important.

It's not like this is a new discovery. ELIZA was written fifty years ago.

@starkatt but why do you say it's not like this is a new discovery. ELIZA was written fifty years ago?

@Fuego ...y'know I was actually really close to responding to this in earnest :D

Sign in to participate in the conversation
Awoo Space

Awoo.space is a Mastodon instance where members can rely on a team of moderators to help resolve conflict, and limits federation with other instances using a specific access list to minimize abuse.

While mature content is allowed here, we strongly believe in being able to choose to engage with content on your own terms, so please make sure to put mature and potentially sensitive content behind the CW feature with enough description that people know what it's about.

Before signing up, please read our community guidelines. While it's a very broad swath of topics it covers, please do your best! We believe that as long as you're putting forth genuine effort to limit harm you might cause – even if you haven't read the document – you'll be okay!