Emergent Modelling and the Facilitator

Full understanding and use of the communication cycle is vital to working with a client. It should be noted that when the client is in the middle of their session, the facilitator may actually acknowledge more often than she instructs; this is because at some point during the session the client begins to run the session themselves and the facilitator virtually becomes an observer of the process and is just there to keep the session rolling along smoothly.

The facilitator uses the communication cycle every time the client originates something he wants them to understand.

If the client can represent his issue in clay he understands it. If he can’t, then he really doesn’t understand what it is. Thus it follows, that if the facilitator can’t understand it, neither can the client as it is not clearly represented.

It is particularly important that the facilitator understands what the client's objects are and what the labels mean. The facilitator should always be working towards understanding what the client is demonstrating and why. If she doesn’t understand what the client is doing, then she gets the client to make her understand it, using labels and clay. This point is made here, as clients can get more upset on a faked understanding than by the facilitators continued efforts to gain understanding.

Also, the facilitator never asks a question to 'teach the client something' by some Socratic method. She is not trying to educate or influence the client, she is simply helping him clarify misunderstood meanings and clear up his puzzles about life.

• Never comment on the client or his work.
• Never evaluate for the client.
• Never tell the client what his models or difficulties are all about.
• Never tell the client what is wrong with him.
• Never contradict the client.
• Never set goals for the client or tell the client what he should be doing in life.
• Never suggest how it can be done.

Under the facilitator’s brief questioning or voluntarily the client tells the facilitator about each and every object he or she makes as it is made and labelled. Long winded discussions about the issue are not to be entered into. A good facilitator takes it easy, is interested and acknowledges when it is expected. The facilitator always acknowledges the client’s ideas, comments and protests.

No client progress occurs when the facilitator takes up too much time with non-process related activities. If the client is sarcastic or critical, acknowledge the communication and have the expressed emotions and comments represented in clay with labels.

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