Conversation Analysis of the Two-Chair Self-Soothing Task in Emotion-Focused Therapy

Despite an increasing recognition of the relevance and significance of self-compassion
processes, little research has explored interventions that seek to enhance these in therapy. In this study, we used conversation analysis to examine the compassionate self-soothing task of emotion-focused therapy involving two-chair work, with seven clients. The analysis yielded a detailed description of interactional practices and processes involved in the accomplishment of self-soothing, drawing on Goffman’s concept of the participation frame. In this article we show how therapists and clients collaborate to move from the ordinary frame of therapeutic conversation to a self-soothing frame and back again, using process directives, four-turn entry sequences, accounts, person reference, repair, and response tokens to help clients accomplish self-soothing in the form of self-praise, disclosing caring, and offering of helpful advice.