Impact Therapy

1. Introduction

Version followed: Ed Jacobs's Impact Therapy as taught by Jacobs and Christine Schimmel (West Virginia University). The main texts are Impact Therapy (PAR, 1994) and Impact Therapy: The Courage to Counsel (Impact Therapy Associates, 2012/2013). Neither of these books is drawn on here, and neither is Creative Counseling Techniques (1992). What is sourced: the step-by-step procedures for the small chair, extra chairs, filter, shield, fuse and ANGER/CALM chairs, and for the writing, drawing and movement techniques (section 4, B, C and D–E), now come from two ACA VISTAS articles written by Schimmel and Jacobs themselves (2010; 2011). The depth-chart layout is taken from the authors' WVDE handout. Still unverified: no source gives a procedure for the rubber band, cups, toy hammer or THINK sign. These remain [uncertain] and their steps are [synthesis]. The rest of the books' technique set (the workshops advertise 65 or more) is not covered. Danie Beaulieu's Ericksonian-leaning "Impact Techniques" strand (Quebec) is noted but not detailed. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010, 2011 (VISTAS); Jacobs & Schimmel WVDE handout; SAGE Encyclopedia entry; Rosado-Pacheco 2021; publisher pages]

What it is. Impact Therapy is an active, multisensory, creative, theory-driven approach to individual and group counselling. It is not a stand-alone theory of change. It is a way of delivering established theories (REBT, transactional analysis, reality therapy, Adlerian and Gestalt therapy) using props, chairs, movement, writing, drawing, pictures and metaphors. These make abstract ideas concrete. [source: SAGE entry; Rosado-Pacheco 2021]
Origin. Jacobs developed it in the early 1990s. The earliest books are Creative Counseling Techniques: An Illustrated Guide (1992) and Impact Therapy (PAR, 1994). Jacobs trained in client-centred work but wanted a more active style. He drew on Ellis (active disputing), Berne (dialogue between ego states), Perls (empty chair) and Erickson (creative, active techniques). Beaulieu began studying with him in 1991 and published widely on the approach. The 2012 book names Jacobs, Schimmel and Beaulieu as its developers. [source: SAGE entry; Jacobs vita; Readings publisher page] The Routledge page for Beaulieu's book dates the approach to 1992. [uncertain: exact year]
How change happens (as the developers state it). Clients learn and remember more when the counsellor speaks "to the clients' eyes as well as their ears" [source: SAGE entry]. A concrete, tangible picture of a problem is thought to stay in memory longer than words alone. The session is kept clear, concrete and thought-provoking, so that a brief course can produce insight and new choices. The counsellor uses a chosen theory to give that insight its content. [source: SAGE entry; Goodreads/Readings publisher description; Rosado-Pacheco 2021] These are the developers' claims, not established mechanisms. Rosado-Pacheco (2021) notes that no comprehensive outcome studies of Impact Therapy itself exist.

2. Framework

Impact Therapy publishes no fixed phase model of treatment in the sources. Its structure works at two levels: the session (warm-up, middle, closing) and the counsellor's ongoing decisions (focus, depth, timing, theory). [source: Jacobs & Schimmel WVDE handout; Rosado-Pacheco 2021] The book's own chapter structure is not described here. [uncertain]

Course of treatment

Format. It is used in individual counselling and in groups. Settings named include schools, private practice, addiction and mental-health services, hospitals and corrections. [source: publisher description]
Length. It is described as brief therapy. One sample informed-consent form plans about 8 weekly one-hour sessions, adjusted to the problem, progress and the client's commitment. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021] Treat this as one example, not a standard.
Informed consent at the start. Tell the client that sessions are active and multisensory. Name the kinds of materials that may be used (chairs, whiteboard, cups, cards, ropes and the like). Say that the client will be asked to take part actively, and explain the client's rights. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021, citing ACA Code A.2, C.7.a–b]

Session structure (Jacobs & Schimmel, groups; usable for individual work [synthesis])

Phase	Goal	Moving on when…
Warm-up	Set the tone and purpose, build energy, choose a focus (a person, a topic or an activity)	A focus with enough energy and relevance has emerged [synthesis]
Middle	Hold the focus, then deepen it ("funnel") toward personal, intrapersonal work; introduce the impact technique at the right moment (the session's "climax")	The key insight or new choice has been made concrete and the client has processed it [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021 on the climax; transition criterion is synthesis]
Closing	Consolidate the learning, often in writing or with a prop the client can take away or recall, and plan the next step	Time, or the learning is anchored [synthesis]

[source: Jacobs & Schimmel WVDE handout for the three phases and focus/funnelling; Rosado-Pacheco 2021 for the climax and timing]

Seven questions the leader keeps asking (groups) [source: Jacobs & Schimmel WVDE handout]

What is the purpose of this group or session?
Which phase are we in: warm-up, middle or closing?
Where is the focus (a person, a topic or an activity)? Should I hold it, shift it or deepen it?
Do members need to be taught a counselling theory?
Which stage of change are members in (precontemplation to maintenance or termination)?
How much attention am I giving to content versus process?
How deep is the group? The handout draws a "depth chart" as a vertical column numbered 10 at the top down to 3. A line is drawn under 7, and the word "IMPACT" sits beside the zone below the line. The caption reads "most sessions should go below 7". So depth runs downward: lower numbers mean deeper work, and 6 and below is the impact zone. [source: WVDE handout; that lower numbers mean deeper is read from the layout and caption, since the handout does not label the ends]

Leader–facilitator continuum. At one end is a facilitator, who works with group process and interpersonal dynamics. At the other is a leader, who works with personal issues and intrapersonal dynamics. Impact Therapy leans toward active leading. [source: WVDE handout]

3. Guiding principles

[source: Jacobs & Schimmel WVDE handout for the Four M's and leadership principles; Rosado-Pacheco 2021 for the Five T's and multisensory definition; SAGE entry for the rest]

Overall stance

Be active. You lead the session; you are not a passive reflector. Practically: decide the focus and direction rather than waiting for one to emerge.
Courage to counsel. Be willing to interrupt, cut off, challenge and try something new (this is the book's subtitle). Practically: when talk is going in circles, act: stand up, get a chair, pick up a marker.
Theory-driven, not gimmick-driven. Every prop expresses a theory's idea. Practically: before using a prop, be able to say which theory it applies and what it should teach.
Clients usually accept being led when the leading is done well. Practically: direct clearly and kindly; do not over-apologise for structure.
Do not be boring. Energy is a therapeutic variable. Practically: watch for flat, low-energy sessions and change format, voice or activity.
Fit and caution. If the counsellor judges props or movement inappropriate for a client, the approach should not be used. Practically: drop it for that client. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021]

The Four M's

Multisensory. Use visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic and movement channels, plus your voice. Using three or more counts as multisensory. Practically: in each session, show something as well as saying it.
Motivational. The work should raise the client's energy to change. Practically: choose techniques that create a "that's me" moment, not a lecture.
Marketing. "Sell" the idea or the change to the client. Practically: frame insights so they are compelling and memorable.
Maps. Know where the session is going. Practically: hold a mental (or whiteboard) map of the problem and the route to change.

The Five T's

Theory. Apply a coherent counselling theory. Practically: pick REBT, TA, reality therapy, Adlerian or Gestalt to suit the problem.
Timing. Know when to bring in a technique and when to speed up or slow down. Practically: wait until the client is engaged and the point is ripe; this is stressed as the key skill.
Teaching. Teach the client the theory in plain language. Practically: draw the ABCs or the ego states on a board so the client can use them alone.
Training. Get trained and practise. Practically: rehearse techniques in role-play before using them with clients.
Thinking. Get the client thinking, not just feeling or venting. Practically: end exchanges with a question that makes the client evaluate.

Process principles

Focus and depth. Keep a clear focus and deepen (funnel) it. Practically: move from surface story toward the personal belief or choice underneath.
Concrete over abstract. Practically: turn every metaphor into an object, a position in the room or a written word.
Co-construction. Involving the client in building the metaphor or staging is said to strengthen the alliance. [source: SAGE] Practically: ask the client to choose which chair, cup or object stands for what.
Diversity and access. The approach does not rely only on verbal exchange, so it is described as suiting diverse clients and learning styles. [source: SAGE; Erickson Foundation catalogue] Practically: use it with children, adolescents, less verbal clients and second-language speakers [synthesis].
Group leadership skills (Jacobs & Schimmel list). Clarity of purpose and of your role; generating and tuning into energy; varying format; using eyes and voice; setting tone; managing focus; asking good questions; knowing counselling theories; knowing your allies in the group; second-guessing (re-checking your decision in the moment); treating members as individuals (a private meeting is acceptable); addressing multicultural issues; drawing out and cutting off members; using exercises effectively. [source: WVDE handout]

Further principles stated by Schimmel and Jacobs (2010) [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010, VISTAS Article 48]

Novelty engages. They quote Pat Love: "The brain likes novelty." Practically: when a client has heard the point before, present it in a new form (a drawing, a chair, a movement).
Engage several senses so concepts are remembered. The authors hold that multisensory work is "more effective than talk-listen counseling most of the time". This is their claim, not an established finding. Practically: put the key idea on the board or in an object, as well as saying it.
Dramatise the key point, as advertisers do. Practically: choose one point per session to stage memorably.
Writing focuses and slows. Writing on the board slows a talkative client and focuses the session. Practically: start writing when a client floods you with topics.
Movement breaks the mindset. Practically: have the client get up and write, stand or change chairs, rather than only sitting and talking.

4. Intervention inventory

This inventory covers every technique named in the sources. Where a technique's steps come from Schimmel and Jacobs's own VISTAS articles (2010, 2011), the entry is tagged [source: …] and the steps are paraphrased. Some sources name a prop without explaining how it is used: the rubber band, cups, toy hammer and THINK sign. For these the entry says so, and any steps given are marked [synthesis]. They show one theory-consistent use; they are not the developers' published procedure. Jacobs and Schimmel's workshops advertise 65 or more techniques and over 15 chair techniques. The full set is in their books, which are not drawn on here. [uncertain: the inventory is incomplete relative to the books] All example wording is illustrative unless quoted.

A. Core process skills

A1. Setting and managing focus (hold, shift, deepen/funnel)

Purpose. Keep the session on one productive thread and move it from surface talk to personal material. [source: WVDE handout]
When to use. Use it in every session. Use it especially when the client jumps between topics or tells a long story.
Steps. Steps 2–4 are [synthesis] built on the handout's hold/shift/deepen terms.
1. Name the focus: a person, a topic or an activity.
2. Hold. If the focus is productive, block side-tracks by re-stating it.
3. Shift. If it is unproductive or low-energy, change it deliberately: a new topic, a new member or an activity.
4. Deepen (funnel). Ask questions that narrow from events, to the client's thoughts about them, to the belief or choice underneath. Then bring in a technique from section B to make that belief or choice visible.
Example language (illustrative). "Let's stay with your dad for a minute rather than the whole family." "What do you tell yourself when he says that?"
Watch for. Rising emotional engagement and shorter, more personal answers show the funnel is working. Intellectualising or flat affect means you are still on the surface. [synthesis]

A2. Depth monitoring (the "depth chart")

Purpose. Judge how deep, meaning how personal and meaningful, the work is, and aim for real depth in most sessions. The handout's chart runs from 10 at the top down to 3. A line sits under 7 and the zone below it is labelled "IMPACT". The caption says "most sessions should go below 7". [source: WVDE handout]
Scale direction. Lower number = deeper. 7 and above is surface work; 6 and below is the impact zone. [source: handout layout and caption; reading the direction from them is a strong inference, because the ends are not labelled in words]
Steps (synthesis).
1. Every few minutes, silently place the session on the 10-to-3 chart.
2. If it is staying at 7 or above, funnel (A1) or bring in a prop (section B).
3. If it is going deeper than the setting allows (for example, a school group), steady the depth or shift the focus.
Example language (illustrative). None is needed; this is an internal check.
Watch for. Do not deepen with clients who are not ready or not safe (see section 5). Do not confuse this chart with the client 1–10 ratings in D3, where 10 means "best".

A3. Energy, eyes and voice

Purpose. Generate energy and tune into it. Use eye contact and voice to steer attention: drawing members out, cutting them off, and shifting the focus. [source: WVDE handout; Rosado-Pacheco 2021 lists voice as a sensory channel]
Steps (synthesis).
1. Notice energy dropping (yawning, short answers, looking away).
2. Change format, pace or volume, or get up and use the board.
3. In groups, look at the members you want to speak, and away from a member you need to stop.
Example language (illustrative). "I'm noticing we've gone a bit flat. Let's try something different."
Watch for. Leaning forward, quicker responses and members talking to each other show energy rising.

A4. Drawing out and cutting off

Purpose. Bring in quiet members and stop members who dominate or harm the session. [source: WVDE handout]
Steps (synthesis).
1. Draw out with a direct, low-pressure invitation, or with a round or a short written task that everyone completes.
2. Cut off by saying the person's name, briefly acknowledging their point, and redirecting. Use your hand and eyes as well.
Example language (illustrative). "Sam, let me stop you there. I want to hear from the others." "Maria, you've been nodding. What's that about?"
Watch for. If one member keeps hijacking the group, consider a private meeting. The handout says treating members as individuals in private meetings is appropriate.

A5. Teaching the theory

Purpose. Give the client a portable model they can use without you (Teaching, one of the Five T's). [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021; WVDE handout, question 4]
Steps (synthesis).
1. Choose the model: REBT ABC, TA ego states, reality therapy WDEP, or Adlerian lifestyle.
2. Draw it on the whiteboard or a legal pad, using the client's own example.
3. Ask the client to explain it back.
4. Give them the sheet or a photo of the board.
Example language (illustrative). "Let me draw what I think is happening. Tell me if this fits."
Watch for. The client spontaneously using the model's language in later sessions.

A6. Timing the "climax"

Purpose. Bring in the impact technique at the session's crucial moment, when it will most shape the client's understanding. Slow down or speed up as needed. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021]
Steps (synthesis).
1. Funnel until the key belief or choice is stated or clearly implied.
2. Introduce the prop or chair at that moment.
3. Process it: ask what the client notices and what it means for them.
Watch for. A prop introduced too early feels like a gimmick; one introduced too late feels like a lecture.

A7. Second-guessing

Purpose. Question your own in-session choice as you make it (focus, technique, member) and correct course quickly. [source: WVDE handout, named skill; the description of the skill is synthesis]
Steps (synthesis). After each intervention, ask yourself: is this working, and is there a better focus or member?

A8. Using written suggestions and notes

Purpose. Write key ideas or suggestions on a whiteboard or legal pad so the client can see and review them. [source: SAGE entry]
Steps (synthesis).
1. Write the client's key self-statement and an alternative.
2. At the close, read them aloud together.
3. Hand the sheet over, or have the client photograph it.
Example language (illustrative). "Here's what you came in believing, and here's what you just told me might be truer."

A9. Group exercises and rounds

Purpose. Use structured exercises to warm up, focus or deepen a group, and vary the format. [source: WVDE handout, named skill]
Steps (synthesis).
1. Choose an exercise that fits the group's purpose and phase.
2. Give a clear instruction and a time limit.
3. Process the exercise; do not just run it. Link it back to the focus.
Watch for. If an exercise has no clear purpose, drop it.

B. Chair techniques

Jacobs teaches more than 15 ways to use chairs. These include the small chair, extra chairs and several empty-chair variants. [source: IUP MARTI 2011 workshop listing] The procedures below come from Schimmel & Jacobs (2010, "Engage the Brain") and Schimmel & Jacobs (2011, anger techniques), both VISTAS articles. Their 2014 paper on chairs (Creative interventions using chairs: Going beyond gestalt) is not drawn on here.

B1. Small chair (TA child ego state)

Purpose. Make Berne's ego states visible. A small (child's) chair stands for the Child ego state; a full-size chair stands for the Parent or Adult. Use it when a client describes slipping into a "little boy" or "little girl" role with a parent (or another powerful figure). [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010; Rosado-Pacheco 2021]
Steps, version 1 (sitting in the small chair). [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010, paraphrased]
1. When the client describes becoming "little" with the parent, pull up the small chair.
2. Have the client sit in it. The counsellor stands by or in the adult chair, representing the parent.
3. Have the client return to their own chair and talk about what that was like.
4. Frame the goal as staying out of the small chair and taking the parent off the "big chair". Then teach how to do this, using the theory (for example, Adult-ego-state self-talk).
Steps, version 2 (being pulled by the small-chair part). [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010, paraphrased]
1. The counsellor sits in the small chair and reaches out to the client with both hands.
2. The client takes the counsellor's hands.
3. The counsellor pulls the client toward the small chair, firmly enough to startle.
4. Discuss how this shows the hurt, angry or irrational part pulling on or governing the client. The authors stress good rapport and timing before using it.
Example language (illustrative). "When your mum starts in on you, which chair are you in?" "What would it take to stay in this chair when she calls?"
Watch for. Recognition ("that's exactly it") shows the image has landed. Shame suggests the small chair is being heard as "you're childish"; reframe it as a part needing care. [synthesis] Version 2 involves touch and a sudden pull. Ask permission for physical contact first, and do not use it with clients who have trauma or abuse histories, physical injury or fragility, or a history of boundary violations (see section 5). [synthesis; the article gives no contraindications]

B2. Extra chairs

Purpose. Use additional chairs to stand for a goal, a way of thinking or another person, so the client can move between them physically. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010; IUP listing names "extra chairs"]
Steps: four uses described by the authors. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010, paraphrased]
1. Goals chair. Ask whether the client is willing to work hard for their goals. If they say yes, have them move to the extra chair. Ask what behaviours that chair requires. Return them to their own seat and discuss what they are actually doing now.
2. Rational and irrational seats. Label one chair the rational seat and one the irrational seat. Have the client move between them as they voice each kind of thought, to show that they can choose how to think about the concern.
3. A person in the client's life. Have the client sit in a separate chair and role-play a significant person. The counsellor can interview "that person", or run a dialogue with the client switching chairs.
4. Towering. Where the client dominates someone, the client can stand on their chair and "tower" over the chair representing that person.
Example language (illustrative). "If you're really willing to work for this, come and sit over here." "Now sit in your dad's chair. Dad, what do you make of all this?"
Watch for. Hesitation to move to the goals chair is useful information about commitment. If you use standing on chairs, check that the chair is stable. [synthesis]

B3. Empty chair, including the switched-off phone variant (Gestalt)

Purpose. Address unfinished business with someone, including someone who has died, by speaking to them directly. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011; Rosado-Pacheco 2021; SAGE on Perls]
Steps (anger case, Schimmel & Jacobs 2011, paraphrased).
1. Identify the person and what was left unsaid. In the article's example, a client is angry at her dead mother.
2. Have the client speak to the person in the empty chair.
3. If the client nears rage, pause the session. Let the hurt underneath come out; in the example the client then cries.
4. The counsellor may sit in the empty chair and answer as the person. In the example the counsellor, using what was known about the mother, apologises as her.
5. Invite the client to sit in the person's chair and see the situation from their side.
Phone variant. Hand the client a switched-off mobile phone and have them "call" the person, then check in on what they feel and process it. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021]
Example language (illustrative). "Tell her what you never got to say." "Let's pause. What's underneath the anger right now?"
Watch for. Escalation toward rage: stop and slow down, as the authors did. When the counsellor speaks as the person, keep it brief and grounded in what the client has told you, and step out of the role clearly afterwards. [synthesis] Not suitable when the content is traumatic and the client is not stabilised (see section 5). [synthesis]

B4. Move away from anger (ANGER and CALM chairs)

Purpose. Show that the client chooses their emotional response, by putting anger and calm in two different seats. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011]
Steps. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011, paraphrased]
1. Tape a paper reading ANGER on a chair on one side of the client and one reading CALM on a chair on the other side.
2. Ask why the client keeps choosing the ANGER seat.
3. Invite them to sit in the CALM seat and notice how it feels.
4. If it feels "not normal", explore what would make the calm seat more comfortable.
5. Have the client voice angry self-talk from the ANGER seat and calm self-talk from the CALM seat.
Example language (illustrative). "You've spent years in this seat. What's it like to try the other one?"
Watch for. Discomfort in the calm seat is expected at first; work with it rather than pushing on, as the authors do. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011]

C. Theory-linked props

C1. Cutting the tape (REBT)

Purpose. Illustrate an irrational idea by cutting a segment out of a cassette or video tape. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021] Treating the cut segment as an old "recording" the client keeps replaying is an [uncertain] interpretation.
Steps (synthesis).
1. Identify the self-statement the client keeps "playing".
2. Show the tape and name the segment as that message.
3. Cut it out with the client.
4. Write a replacement statement to "record" instead.
Example language (illustrative). "This is the bit that says 'I'm useless if I fail'. Do you want to keep playing it?"
Watch for. Overly dramatic gestures can feel trivialising; keep the link to the actual dispute.

C2. THINK sign

Purpose. A "THINK" sign is listed among Jacobs's props. [source: SAGE entry] Its specific use is not described in the sources. [uncertain]
Steps (synthesis). Point to the sign when the client reacts automatically, to prompt them to stop and evaluate the thought (fits REBT and reality therapy).
Example language (illustrative). (Pointing at the sign) "What's the thought right there?"

C3. Filter (furnace filter)

Purpose. Teach the client to keep the useful content of a criticism and let the harsh tone get caught, so they stop absorbing the hurtful part. The authors' example is a teenager angry at a parent's constant criticism. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011; filters also named in SAGE entry and Erickson Foundation catalogue]
Props. A small furnace filter.
Steps. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011, paraphrased]
1. List the criticisms the parent typically makes.
2. Ask whether any of them contains something useful.
3. Reframe the useful core. In the example it is: do well in school, stay safe, learn responsibility.
4. Hold up the filter. The harsh tone and words get caught in it; the useful message passes through.
5. If the client says it still feels bad to hear, acknowledge that, and keep the focus on what they let in, not on changing the parent.
Example language (illustrative). "Let's put this between you and your dad. What gets stuck in here, and what actually needs to get through?"
Watch for. Do not use it to make the client filter out abuse or threats; screen for these first. [synthesis]

C4. Shield

Purpose. Help a client who feels attacked by someone's criticism, such as a boss, to deflect it with self-talk rather than absorbing it. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011; shields also named in Erickson Foundation catalogue]
Props. A sheet of plexiglass about letter-paper size (8.5 × 11 in).
Steps. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011, paraphrased]
1. Role-play the critic (the boss): the counsellor delivers typical criticism while tapping the client.
2. Hand the client the shield and repeat; the shield blocks the advance.
3. Give the client a self-talk line to hold up with the shield. The article's line is "I have to get my expectations in line with reality."
4. Practise until the client can deflect the comments.
5. When the client says they still dislike being yelled at, agree. Frame the shield as protecting themselves, not as changing the other person.
Example language (illustrative). "Hold this up and tell yourself the line as I say it again."
Watch for. The tapping is touch. Ask permission, keep it light, and skip it with clients for whom touch is unsafe (see section 5). [synthesis] Where the "attack" is harassment or abuse, the problem is not only self-talk; address safety and options too. [synthesis]

C5. Rubber band

Purpose. Rubber bands are a named Jacobs prop. [source: Erickson Foundation catalogue; "elastic bands" in Rosado-Pacheco's consent-form list] No procedure appears in any source cited, including both Schimmel & Jacobs VISTAS articles. [uncertain]
Steps (synthesis). Use it to depict tension or stretching to a limit: stretch it as the client describes mounting stress, and ask where their breaking point is and what lowers the tension. Do not snap it at or near the client.

C6. Fuse

Purpose. Show the client that they "have a short fuse", and that self-talk can lengthen it, giving more time to think before exploding. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011; fuses also named in Erickson Foundation catalogue]
Props. Pieces of string from about 1 inch to about 12 inches long.
Steps. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011, paraphrased]
1. Explain the image: a short fuse means a quick explosion; a long fuse gives time to think.
2. Hold up a short string to show how reactive the client is now.
3. Hold up a long string to show the fuse they could have.
4. Get the client's agreement to learn how to lengthen the fuse.
5. Teach how changing self-talk lengthens it (for example with D1 or E1).
Example language (illustrative). "Right now your fuse is about this long. Want to work on getting it to this?"
Watch for. Return to the strings in later sessions to ask how long the fuse was during the week's incidents. [synthesis]

C7. Cups

Purpose. Disposable cups are named props. [source: SAGE entry; Rosado-Pacheco 2021] No procedure was found. [uncertain]
Steps (synthesis). Use cups to represent people, roles or options that the client arranges. A cup can also stand for "capacity", filling up with stressors.

C8. Toy hammer

Purpose. A named prop [source: SAGE entry]; no procedure was found. [uncertain]
Steps (synthesis). Use it to depict self-criticism ("beating yourself up"): ask the client how often they use the hammer and what it achieves. Do not use it with clients who have experienced violence without first checking. [synthesis]

C9. Other named materials

Plasticine (modelling clay), playing cards, adhesive bandages, puzzles, ropes, elastic bands and acrylic sheets all appear among the materials listed in a sample consent form. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021] No procedures were given. [uncertain] If you use them, name the metaphor first and let the client shape it, for example by modelling a feeling or assembling a puzzle of life areas. [synthesis]

C10. WDEP on the whiteboard (reality therapy)

Purpose. Lay out Wubbolding's WDEP (Wants, Doing, Evaluation, Plan) visibly rather than only verbally. This helps confront unhelpful behaviour and explore what is maintaining the problem. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021, with a case of a client in conflict with her mother over her partner]
Steps. The column layout is [synthesis].
1. Draw four columns: W, D, E, P.
2. Write what the client wants.
3. Write what they are doing.
4. Ask them to judge whether the doing is getting them what they want.
5. Write a small, specific plan.
Example language (illustrative). "Look at these two columns side by side. Is what you're doing getting you this?"
Watch for. The client noticing the mismatch on the board before you point it out.

C11. Choice framing (reality therapy)

Purpose. Reframe outcomes as the client's choices rather than inability. This comes from a case of an unmotivated 12-year-old student (MacDonald 2014, as cited in Rosado-Pacheco 2021).
Steps (synthesis). Show the choices the client is making, for example on a board or with objects. Ask whether they want to keep choosing them, and identify one different choice.
Example language (illustrative). "It doesn't look like you can't do it. It looks like you're choosing not to right now. Is that the choice you want?"

C12. Drawing and writing for lifestyle (Adlerian)

Purpose. Have the client draw or write about childhood situations and current problems, then compare them to reveal a consistent lifestyle pattern. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021]
Steps.
1. The client draws or writes an early situation and a current one, in session or as homework.
2. Lay the two side by side.
3. Ask the client to name what is similar.
4. Explore the private logic behind the pattern. [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative). "Put these two pictures next to each other. What do you notice that's the same?"

C13. Counsellor movement and imitation

Purpose. Use the counsellor's own movement and voice. For example, physically imitate a client's lack of effort so they can see it from outside, as a confrontation. [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021]
Steps (synthesis).
1. Ask permission.
2. Briefly enact what you see (for example, slumping and half-heartedly reaching).
3. Ask what the client noticed.
4. Have them show what full effort would look like.
Example language (illustrative). "Can I show you what I'm seeing? Tell me if I've got it wrong."
Watch for. This must never come across as mocking. Stop if the client feels humiliated, and repair (section 5).

C14. Metaphors and pictures

Purpose. Make abstract ideas concrete with images and metaphors, ideally built together with the client. This is said to strengthen the alliance. [source: SAGE entry]
Steps (synthesis).
1. Listen for the client's own metaphor.
2. Turn it into an object, a drawing or a position in the room.
3. Work with it.
4. Refer back to it in later sessions.

C15. Ericksonian-form impact techniques (Beaulieu)

The SAGE entry describes a second form of Impact Therapy that applies Ericksonian hypnosis principles through creative techniques. Beaulieu's Impact Techniques for Therapists (Routledge) draws heavily on Erickson and uses verbal, visual and kinesthetic channels. [source: SAGE entry; T&F book page] The specific techniques are not described here. [uncertain] If you use formal hypnosis within this strand, do so only within your clinical-hypnosis competence, with consent and screening. Never use covert or non-consensual induction. [synthesis, per house rules]

D. Writing, drawing and movement techniques (Schimmel & Jacobs 2010)

All steps in D1–D11 are paraphrased from Schimmel & Jacobs (2010, VISTAS Article 48), unless marked. The article's examples are individual sessions. Group use is [synthesis].

D1. Not True–True grid (REBT)

Purpose. Dispute the client's self-statements visibly and give the session a working map. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010; also Schimmel & Jacobs 2011 for anger]
Steps.
1. Draw two columns on the board, headed NOT TRUE and TRUE.
2. Write the client's self-statements in the NOT TRUE column.
3. At the bottom, write the resulting feeling (for example, depressed or worthless under NOT TRUE; "better" under TRUE).
4. Point out that the TRUE column is empty.
5. Dispute each statement and write a truthful replacement opposite it.
6. Use the finished grid to guide the rest of the session.
Anger version (2011). Write the "should" or "can't stand it" thought under NOT TRUE and the rational version under TRUE. For example, "I can't stand it when he talks to me that way" becomes "I don't like it, but I can stand it." Label the outcomes "very angry" and "less angry/frustrated". [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011]
Example language (illustrative). "Look at this column. Nothing true in it yet. Let's fill it in."
Watch for. The client starting to write the TRUE statements themselves.

D2. Lists

Purpose. Slow a talkative client, focus the session and show options. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps.
1. Write the client's concerns on the board as they talk.
2. Ask which matters most, or ask the client to rank them.
3. Use the same method for lists of traits (in a friend, partner or boss) or of possible solutions.
Example language (illustrative). "Let me get these up here. Which one should we start with?"

D3. Ratings 1–10

Purpose. Make the client's view of a person or situation concrete. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps.
1. Ask the client to rate a person or situation on a 1–10 scale, 10 being the best.
2. Write the rating on the board.
3. Optionally list several people in the client's life and rate each one.
Example language (illustrative). "On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 the best dad you could imagine, where's yours?"
Watch for. In the authors' example the client found the board disturbing to look at. Be ready to process that reaction. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010; how to process is synthesis]

D4. Sentences to be disputed

Purpose. Keep a core belief in view so the client sees it must change. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps. Write the guiding belief on the board (for example, "I don't deserve to be happy"). Refer back to it throughout the session as you dispute it.

D5. Board of directors (drawing)

Purpose. Show who influences the client's decisions, and how much. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps.
1. Draw a table with chairs.
2. Have the client name the people, living or dead, who sit on their "board" and place them in the chairs.
3. Ask who chairs the board.
4. Ask which members really understand the client.
5. Consider reducing some members' influence. The authors note this does not mean cutting off contact.
Example language (illustrative). "Who has the biggest vote when you make a decision?"

D6. Small box–big box (drawing)

Purpose. Show that the client's world view has outgrown that of their parents or partner. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps. Draw a small box for the other person's view and a bigger one for the client's. Refer to the drawing throughout the session.

D7. Enmeshment circles (drawing)

Purpose. Illustrate needed boundaries. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps. Draw overlapping circles (unhealthy enmeshment) beside separate circles (healthy). Ask which picture the relationship looks like now. [question is synthesis]

D8. Safety–growth (drawing)

Purpose. Show the client that full safety and full growth cannot both be had at once. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps. Write SAFETY and GROWTH on the board and explore where the client is choosing to stand between them. [second step is synthesis]

D9. Client writes on the board

Purpose. Movement breaks up the client's mindset; they quote the line "having the client move helps to break up the mindset." [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps. Ask the client to come to the whiteboard and write the list, write a more rational thought, or draw the concept, instead of the counsellor doing it.

D10. Being held back while trying to go forward

Purpose. Let the client feel a relationship dynamic, such as being held back by someone, rather than only talking about it. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps.
1. The client stands facing a wall and reaches one arm forward.
2. The counsellor holds the arm firmly while the client tries to move forward.
3. Afterwards, discuss the experience and the client's choices: keep struggling, give in, or pry the hand away.
Example language. The authors frame it as wanting the client to experience "what is happening" (paraphrased).
Watch for. In the article this came after weeks of talk. It involves restraint by touch: get explicit consent, let the client stop it at any time, and do not use it with trauma, abuse or restraint histories or physical injury. [synthesis; the article gives no safety guidance]

D11. Client in the corner

Purpose. Show how dwelling on the past traps the client. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010]
Steps.
1. Have the client stand facing a corner and describe what they see (only the corner).
2. Ask them to move forward; they cannot.
3. Ask them to turn around, describe the room, and move forward; now they can.
4. Discuss being "in" versus "out of" the corner. The authors report some clients later said they got in the corner less often.
Example language (illustrative). "Where were you this week, in the corner or out?"

E. Further anger techniques (Schimmel & Jacobs 2011)

All steps in E1–E4 are paraphrased from Schimmel & Jacobs (2011, VISTAS Article 53). The fuse, shield, filter, Not True–True grid, ANGER/CALM chairs and empty chair from the same article are in C6, C4, C3, D1, B4 and B3.

E1. The three R's

Purpose. Replace the client's usual sequence with a pause before acting. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011]
Steps.
1. Write the client's usual sequence on the board: React, Retreat, Rethink. It leads to trouble.
2. Rewrite it as Retreat, Rethink, Respond.
3. Practise the retreat as a mental step back, not leaving the room.
Watch for. If the client fears looking like someone who runs away, clarify that the retreat is to a mental space to think. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011]

E2. Rearview mirror

Purpose. Help with anger tied to an old, unresolved conflict. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011]
Props. A car rearview mirror.
Steps.
1. Ask how a driver uses the mirror: glancing, not staring.
2. Apply it to the old conflict (in the example, a decade-old dispute with a sibling).
3. A glance back shows what to avoid; fixing your eyes on it means you keep "crashing".
Example language (illustrative). "How long can you stare in this and still drive?"

E3. Pop bottle to water bottle

Purpose. Teach that self-talk, not other people or events, produces outbursts. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011]
Props. A shaken bottle of fizzy drink and a bottle of water.
Steps.
1. Hand the client the shaken bottle and ask them to open it (they will refuse).
2. Compare the built-up pressure to anger building up.
3. Show that the water bottle can be shaken safely. The goal, in the authors' words, is "clear thinking and not full of cloudy thinking."
Watch for. Have a towel ready, and do not actually make the client open it. [synthesis]

E4. Deck of cards

Purpose. Challenge the belief that anger "runs in the family" and cannot change. [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2011]
Props. A deck of cards.
Steps.
1. Propose a card game and deal the client a poor hand (in the article, the counsellor has stacked the deck).
2. When the client objects that they were not allowed to draw, point out that they set the rule of playing the hand dealt.
3. Draw the parallel: they can draw new cards and change.
Watch for. The article stacks the deck without telling the client. That is a mild deception; you can get the same point across by stating the setup openly. [synthesis]

5. Handling problems

The sources say little about problem handling. Only the following points are sourced. Use them as stated:

Drop the approach for a client if props or movement are not appropriate for them. [Rosado-Pacheco 2021]
Get informed consent that describes the creative, active elements, and explain any new technique's risks and benefits. [Rosado-Pacheco 2021, citing ACA C.7.b and A.2]
Use timing: slow down or speed up as needed. [Rosado-Pacheco 2021]
In groups, cut off members who derail the session, draw out quiet members, use private meetings when needed, and attend to multicultural issues. [WVDE handout]

Further sourced points from the developers' own case examples [source: Schimmel & Jacobs 2010, 2011]:

When a client nears rage in an empty-chair dialogue, pause the session and let the hurt underneath emerge (B3).
When a new position feels "not normal" (the CALM chair), explore what would make it more comfortable instead of pressing on (B4).
When a client objects that a technique does not change the other person (the shield: the client still dislikes being yelled at), agree, and frame the work as protecting themselves (C4).
When a client fears a new step will look weak (retreat in the three R's), redefine it in acceptable terms: a mental retreat to think (E1).
Startling or physical techniques (the pull into the small chair) need established rapport and good timing (B1).

Everything else in this section is [synthesis].

The client is stuck or the session is circling

Check the focus (A1). You are probably holding too broad a topic. Name one person or one belief and funnel.
Make the stuck point concrete. Put the two options on two chairs, or write the WDEP on the board (C10), so the impasse is visible.
Change the format: stand, move to the board, or switch from talking to drawing (C12). In Jacobs's terms, a boring session is a leadership problem.
Switch theory if the current one has no grip. For example, move from REBT disputing to TA ego states when the client says "I know it's irrational but I still feel it."

Resistance to props ("this feels silly")

Market it (one of the Four M's): explain briefly why you are using an object, so the client sees the reason rather than a gimmick.
- Illustrative: "I find people remember things better when they can see them. Humour me for two minutes."
Offer a lower-key version, such as a drawing on a pad instead of moving furniture, and let the client choose or place the objects.
If the client still objects, drop the prop and keep the theory (in line with Rosado-Pacheco's caution). Do not press props on clients who find them patronising, particularly high-status or highly intellectualising adults.

Overwhelm or strong emotion (empty chair, phone call, childhood drawing)

Before using techniques that evoke past relationships, screen for trauma history, dissociation and current safety.
If the client becomes overwhelmed:
1. Stop the enactment and turn the chair or phone away. Physically removing the prop marks the end of the exercise.
2. Re-orient the client: have them notice the room, their feet on the floor and their breathing, and name things they can see.
3. Return to adult, present-tense talk.
4. Process only as much as is tolerable.
With trauma survivors, do stabilisation first. Do not use enactments to dig for or "recover" memories. Treat what emerges as the client's experience, not historical fact. Consider referral to a trauma-focused treatment.
Avoid props with violent connotations (the hammer, snapping a band) for clients with violence histories, unless you have checked with them first.

Non-adherence with written or drawing homework

Make the task smaller, start it in session, and give the client the written sheet or prop to take home as a cue.
Review the task at the start of the next session. If it was not done, explore the reason using the current theory: use WDEP to evaluate the choice not to do it, or identify the Child ego state that avoided it.

Ruptures

Active, confrontational techniques carry a rupture risk. Examples include imitating a client's lack of effort (C13), cutting off in groups, and choice-framing that may sound like blame.

Ask permission before enactments.
Name the intention and invite correction.
If the client is hurt, acknowledge it plainly, take responsibility for the misstep, and return to collaborative work.
- Illustrative: "I think that came across as making fun of you, and that wasn't OK. Can we look at what happened?"

Approach-specific difficulties

Gimmickry. Using props without a theory drains them of meaning. Before each use, state which theory and which point the prop serves (Theory, one of the Five T's).
Over-directiveness. Strong leading can override a client's own agenda. Check the focus with the client at the start of each session and when you shift it.
Children and adolescents. Props suit children and adolescents well, given the approach's popularity with school counsellors. Keep sharp or breakable objects (cutting tape, acrylic sheets) under your control, and make sure the metaphor is age-appropriate.
Cultural fit. Check whether particular objects, gestures or physical enactments carry meanings for this client that you do not intend. The WVDE handout names multicultural issues as a skill area.
Risk. Impact Therapy gives no risk-assessment procedure. Assess suicide and self-harm risk with standard methods. Escalate to appropriate clinical care, outside the brief impact format, when a client is at risk, psychotic or severely dissociative.
Training. The developers recommend direct training and role-play practice before use (Training, one of the Five T's). [source: Rosado-Pacheco 2021]

Touch, restraint and staged tricks [synthesis]

Several published techniques involve touching the client: the pull into the small chair (B1), tapping during the shield role-play (C4) and holding an arm (D10). One (the stacked deck, E4) involves undisclosed set-up. The source articles give no safety guidance for these, so the following is my own.

Before any touch, explain what you will do and get explicit consent. Agree a stop word or signal, and stop at once when it is used.
Do not use touch, restraint or sudden pulls with clients who have abuse, assault, restraint or trauma histories, who dissociate, or who have injuries or fragility. Also avoid them with clients for whom touch is culturally or religiously inappropriate, or where your setting's policy forbids it. Use a non-touch version instead: the client pulls on a rope tied to the small chair, or presses against a wall.
Children: follow your setting's safeguarding and touch policy. [synthesis]
Disclose staged set-ups afterwards, or demonstrate the point openly, so that trust is not damaged.
If a client freezes, panics or becomes angry during a physical technique, stop. Ground them (see "Overwhelm" above) and repair as under "Ruptures".

Sources

Sources

Schimmel, C. J., & Jacobs, E. (2011). Ten Creative Counseling Techniques for Helping Clients Deal With Anger. VISTAS Online 2011, Article 53 (ACA) (PDF). Source for fuse, shield, filter, three R's, rearview mirror, pop bottle, deck of cards, Not True–True grid, ANGER/CALM chairs and empty chair.
Schimmel, C. J., & Jacobs, E. (2010). Engage the Brain: Using Writings, Movement, and Creativity to Increase Effectiveness. VISTAS 2010, Article 48 (ACA), PDF. Source for small chair, extra chairs, writing, drawing and movement techniques.
Impact Therapy – The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy (preview). Only the preview was readable; the full entry is behind a login.
Rosado-Pacheco, C. M. (2021). El uso de intervenciones creativas en el proceso de consejería mediante la Terapia de Impacto. R|EDUCA, 4(2), 1–19. Read in Spanish; summarised and translated in my own words.
Jacobs, E., & Schimmel, C. Impact Therapy Applied to Groups (WVDE 2020 school counselor conference handout). Source for the depth-chart layout.
Impact Therapy: A Multisensory Approach to Counseling, Ed Jacobs (Milton H. Erickson Foundation catalogue). Names shields, filters, rubber bands and fuses, with no procedures.
Creative Use of Chairs in Counseling, Edward Jacobs (IUP MARTI 2011)
Ed Jacobs vita (WVU, 2018)
Impact Therapy: The Courage to Counsel (Readings publisher listing)
Impact Therapy (Goodreads listing)
Impact Therapy (PAR product page)
Creative Counseling Techniques: An Illustrated Guide (PAR product page). No contents listed; the page says the book is now sold through the author's site.
Welsch, H. (2020). The Effectiveness of Impact Techniques: An Underrated Intervention in a Psychotherapist's Toolbox (PhD thesis, University of Nicosia), repository record. Abstract only.
Impact Techniques for Therapists (Taylor & Francis)

Further reading (not drawn on) [uncertain where relied on]

Jacobs, E. E. (1992). Creative Counseling Techniques: An Illustrated Guide. Odessa, FL: PAR.
Jacobs, E. E. (1994). Impact Therapy. Odessa, FL: PAR.
Jacobs, E., & Schimmel, C. J. (2012/2013). Impact Therapy: The Courage to Counsel. Morgantown, WV: Impact Therapy Associates.
Beaulieu, D. (2006; English edition with H. Hoff). Impact Techniques for Therapists. New York: Routledge.
Harvill, R., Jacobs, E., & Masson, R. (1984). Use of props in counseling. Personnel & Guidance Journal, 62, 273–275.
Schimmel, C. J., & Jacobs, E. (2014). Creative interventions using chairs: Going beyond gestalt. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health.
(Schimmel & Jacobs 2011, VISTAS Article 53 is drawn on; see above.)

← Previous · VI-008Single-session therapy and walk-in clinics Next · VI-010 →Just Therapy