Improving concentration
There's a lot going on in each of these sessions -- probably more than some clients can manage all at once. The sessions could easily be divided up into 6 or 7 smaller sessions. It's up to you. Whatever you think works best for your client.
Session 1: Identified tasks that Emma has difficulty concentrating on. Discussed common causes of distraction to see if they were a problem for her, and ways of coping with them if they were. The first distraction we discussed was noise. I asked Emma if she was ever distracted by sounds. She said that loud music, especially when played by her roommate, made it hard for her to focus. As ideas for solutions, we came up with the idea of telling her roommate, in advance, how loud music affects her. This might make her less likely to turn it up when Emma appeared to be working on something, and more likely to turn it down if Emma needed to ask. We also came up with the idea of Emma going to a quieter place in the house, if one was available. If the sounds she heard were the result of her illness, or if she felt she was more sensitive to sound because of it, she should talk to her doctor and see what her options were. Praised Emma for participating and told her we would discuss other distractions and how to manage them the next time we met.
Session 2: Continued our discussion of things that interfere with Emma’s ability to concentrate. Today we talked about interruptions. In terms of coming up with solutions, I asked her to consider whether she had any control over the interruption. For example, by putting her phone on silent, she could prevent herself from hearing a tone every time a message came in, which left her too distracted to continue until she stopped and looked at it. Interruptions by housemates might be reduced by letting them know in advance that she was going to be working on something and asking them please not to disturb her. Some interruptions we agreed she had no control over. But in most cases, she did have some control over when she chose to respond. I suggested that when she is interrupted, she ask herself if the interruption can be ignored or attended to at another time. Responding to interruptions on a set schedule – for example, reading and replying to all messages at a fixed time every hour – is more efficient and less distracting than reacting and responding to each interruption as it occurs. Praised Emma for participating and explained that next week, I would offer three more suggestions for improving her ability to concentrate.
Session 3: Continued our discussion of things Emma can do to improve her concentration. First, she should clarify her objective – establish a clear-cut goal before starting a task or project. Explained that goals provide guidance and structure, which can help people stay focused. Second, if she has trouble clarifying a goal or if the goal seems too complicated, she should break it down into smaller, more manageable parts, and only focus on one task at a time. She should be able to visualize how the completed task will look. Third, she should create a deadline for completing each task, doing her best to be sure the timeframe is realistic. Explained that deadlines can help increase motivation and sharpen focus (assuming they are reasonable), whereas having an unlimited amount of time to complete a task can result in diminished motivation and greater succeptibility to distractions.