EXTERNALISING CONVERSATIONS:

THE STATEMENT OF POSITION MAP 1

This map provides a structure that:

1. Externalises the problem

2. Acknowledges the full effects of the problem on a person’s life

3.
4. Distances the person from the immediacy of the problem.
5.
6. Identifies a non-problem place for the person to stand in.
1. CHARACTERISTICS or NAMING
(of the problem)

• Characterisation of a problem gives it boundaries – it’s

then possible to stand outside them

• Questions should elicit an externalised description that

is experience-near (e.g. “the black depths”, “the pounce
of the wolf monster”, “a lurking suspicion of my mothers
love”) rather than experience distant (e.g.
“depression”, “temper tantrum”, “attachment disorder”)

• Experience-near descriptions promote primary

authorship by the person describing the problem -
where experience distant descriptions pass expertise
and problem solving abilities to others.
• Other possible questions might include:

• “What would you call this kind of problem?”

• “How big/What colour/What shape/Which gender is this
problem?”
• “What does it remind you of?” “What image comes to mind
when you think of it?”
• “Could you draw a picture of this problem for me?”

• “If this problem were a person who/what would you call

him/her?”
• “Is this problem a mere irritation or something more
dangerous?”
• 2. CONNECTIONS TO or EFFECTS OF (the problem)

• These questions continue to separate the problem from the person as the
problem is connected to it’s effects, it’s foundations, it’s allies etc
• (e.g. Has the wolf monster affected your friendships? Have the black depths
made a difference to your relationship with your young son? Have those
lurking suspicions been influencing your mood? How did the black depths
first get a grip on you? Did they team up with disappointment or
resentment?)

• These questions also provide an opportunity to fully acknowledge the

problem’s history, modus operandi and negative effects on a person’s life
and relationships. It ensures the complexitiy of a persons experience can be
given voice to
• Other connecting questions might include:
• “Have you ever had to face a challenge of
this size before?”
• “What effects has the problem had on
other peoples lives?”
• “Has the problem tried to convince
you of things about yourself? Or
about others?”
• “How has the problem had you
acting/talking/thinking/feeling?”
• What is it besides your body that is
hurt by the bullying?
3. POSITION ON or EXPERIENCE OF (the
problem and its effects)
• Ask about their experience of, evaluation of and position on the
problem and it’s effects. This position will further separate the
person from the problem.

• e.g. “Who would you rather have in charge of your life – the
wolf monster or you?” “Does the wolf monster have his own
interests at heart or yours?” “What’s it been like to share your
life with the black depths?

• This positioning is a springboard for

questions about different preferences
in life. It also accounts for the presence
of initiatives - actions or events that do
not fit the problem story.
• Other possible questions:

• “Would you say these effects

are positive or negative? Or both? Or neither?”
• Does it add to your life or subtract from it?
• ”Do these effects support your life or the
problem’s life?”
• “What would you say about the character of
something that goes around upsetting
people’s lives?”
4. VALUES (of the person that provide a context for
their position)
Why do you experience the problem in this kind of way? Why do you take this
position on the problem?

• These questions seek to understand the basis for the persons declared
position.
(E.g. Why is it you’d rather be in charge of your life than have the wolf monster
in charge of it?”)

• They provide a foundation for action that is based on the person’s own
intentions and values.
(E.g. ”What kind of life are you interested in that’s at odds with the life that
lurking suspicions wants for you?

• They prevent the therapist being the primary author of WHY something has
to be done.
Other possible questions might include:

• “What does this position reflect about the things

that are important to you?”
• “How do your values differ from the values the
problem holds?”
• “What hopes or ambitions is the problem trying to
sabotage?”
• What purposes do you have for your life that are under
threat here?
• How have you become so clear about this?
• What experiences have you had that helped clarify that a
different kind of life would suit you?
• Did you have some plans for your life that don’t fit with the
plans of the black depths?