Nonviolent Communication

Domain III · Humanistic, existential & experiential · Marshall B. Rosenberg

What it is

Nonviolent Communication (NVC; also called Compassionate Communication) is a communication process, not a psychotherapy with a treatment protocol. Rosenberg, a clinical psychologist, presents it as a way of speaking and listening that keeps compassion flowing between people. It is used in families,…

Format

• The primary sources give no phases, session counts or progression criteria; NVC is taught in workshops and practice groups, and Rosenberg demonstrates it in single live sessions. What follows is the internal order of the process as Rosenberg describes it, then a suggested way to stage it in…
• The process itself (per exchange, not per course of therapy):

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Defensiveness if it sounds like a test. Working when misunderstandings are caught early.
• Clinical duties (risk assessment, documentation) still apply; NVC does not replace them.
• Time-outs used to avoid; agree a return time. Working when the person can return and listen.
• Clients turning "translate" into another should. Working when tone softens and options appear.
• Punishment relabelled as protection. Working when safety is achieved without escalating resentment.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.