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Worksheet D: Communication Toolkit

Practicing new communication strategies.

Week 4
Appendix D

Active Listening

In my next conversation, I will try to reflect back what I hear by saying...
A non-verbal way I can show I'm listening is...

'I' Statements and Validation

Instead of saying 'You're spending too much money,' I could say...
A phrase I can use to validate my loved one's feelings is...
On a scale of 0-10, how challenging do you find it to stay calm during difficult conversations?

The Pause Before the Story

Describe the situation. What did your loved one do or not do?
What did you notice in your body? (Chest tight, jaw clenched, stomach dropping, etc.)
What was the story your nervous system wrote? (The first-draft interpretation)
What was the feeling underneath the story? (Scared, exhausted, helpless, invisible, etc.)
What need of yours got activated? (For normalcy, to not be alone in this, etc.)
With the story paused — what might they have been feeling? Was this the illness talking?
© 2026 Linda Curran, BCPC, LPC, CAADC, CCDPD | The Supporter's Guide to Bipolar II Coaching