Purpose 🎯🕵️

Help clients uncover the real barriers behind procrastination and task avoidance.

Let’s Talk About It 🗣️

When a client says, “I’m just lazy,” become curious instead of corrective.

Choose one task they’ve been avoiding and ask:

“What makes this task difficult?”

As they answer, continue gently exploring until the underlying barrier becomes clearer.

Common barriers include:

• Boredom
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Not knowing where to start
• Perfectionism
• Fear of failure
• Too many decisions
• Low energy
• Anxiety

Once you’ve identified the barrier, ask:

“What would make this feel just a little easier?”

If the Conversation Gets Stuck 💡

• What’s the very first thing your brain says when you think about this task?
• What part feels biggest?
• If someone else had to do this, what advice would you give them?

Telehealth / Whiteboard Version 🔎

Draw a magnifying glass. Write the task inside the lens and list possible barriers around it. Circle the biggest one together.

Why This Works 🌱

Clients often believe they lack motivation. More often, they are experiencing an executive functioning barrier. Identifying the barrier makes problem-solving much more effective.

Clinical Pearl 🧠

Avoid rushing into solutions. Understanding why the task feels difficult is often more therapeutic than solving it immediately.

Documentation Language 📝

Therapist utilized cognitive and behavioral exploration to identify barriers contributing to task avoidance. Therapist collaborated with patient to develop individualized strategies to increase task initiation.

Clinical Focus: Task Avoidance, Barrier Identification, Cognitive and Behavioral Exploration