Key techniques for text therapy (I)

Use simple, everyday language

Many people naturally adopt a more formal or complex writing style when typing, especially if they have an academic or professional background. However, text therapy should resemble a supportive conversation rather than a clinical report. Using familiar, everyday words makes messages more accessible.

🚫 Hard to read

✅ More readable

Break up long sentences and paragraphs

Long, dense paragraphs can be overwhelming and difficult to process, especially for clients in distress. Breaking text into smaller chunks enhances readability and allows for better engagement. We can work through this together in a way that makes sense for you

🚫 Hard to read

✅ More readable

Avoid jargon and technical terms

While some clients may have familiarity with psychological or clinical terms, many do not. Using technical jargon can create distance rather than connection. If a term is necessary, offering a brief explanation can improve understanding.

🚫 Hard to read

✅ More readable

Use formatting

Text-based therapy should be structured in a way that makes it easy for clients to follow. Using short paragraphs, line breaks, and bullet points can help organize thoughts clearly.

✅ More readable

Use a conversational yet professional tone

A friendly and supportive tone helps clients feel heard and understood. However, being too casual can diminish the professional nature of the therapeutic relationship, while being too clinical can feel distant or cold.

🚫 Too formal

🚫 Too informal

✅ Balanced approach

Acknowledge and validate emotions

Since text lacks non-verbal cues, direct emotional validation ensures that clients feel seen and understood. Simply acknowledging emotions can help a client feel more supported.

🚫 No validation

✅ With validation

Maintain professional boundaries

While warmth and empathy are crucial, therapists should avoid language that blurs professional boundaries. Using overly personal statements or excessive self-disclosure can shift the focus away from the client's needs.

🚫 Too personal

✅ Professional and empathetic

Adapt tone based on the clients' needs

Some clients respond well to a more structured and professional approach, while others may feel more comfortable with a conversational style. Therapists can subtly adjust their tone based on how the client communicates while maintaining consistency.

🚫 Mismatch in tone

✅ Better matched response

Period(.)

The period (full stop) is a standard punctuation mark used to end sentences, but in text therapy, it can affect tone in unexpected ways.

When to avoid it
In short, single-sentence responses, a period can come across as abrupt or even cold when you put it at the end of a sentence. Omitting the period in short supportive statements makes the message feel more open-ended and conversational.

🚫 Potentially cold

When to use it
Use it only when it is the end of a sentence but not the end of the text message.

Question Mark (?)

The question mark is essential for inviting reflection and encouraging dialogue. It signals curiosity and openness.

When to avoid it
The issue is not about avoiding question marks altogether but rather avoiding the overuse of multiple question marks. Using more than one can create a sense of urgency or interrogation, which may feel overwhelming or unprofessional.

🚫 Feels like an interrogation

🚫 Feels overly urgent

✅ Encourages engagement

It is not recommended to omit a question mark, as doing so may make your questions feel more like challenges rather than invitations to reflect, which can come across as unprofessional.

Exclamation mark(!)

Exclamation marks can add warmth and encouragement, but they should be used sparingly in therapeutic communication to avoid sounding overly enthusiastic about distressing topics.

🚫 Too intense for serious topics

✅ Encouraging when appropriate

We can use exclamation marks when offering encouragement or warmth. They often create a sense of a more relaxed and friendly conversation. However, it's best to avoid using them at the beginning of a session when the therapeutic relationship is still developing. Imagine writing an email to your new boss. You probably wouldn't use exclamation marks in your first week of communication. The same principle applies to text therapy; build rapport first before incorporating a more casual tone.

Ellipsis (...)

Ellipses can be useful for creating a reflective tone. In fact, it is one of the most commonly used punctuation marks, but they can also introduce ambiguity or unintended uncertainty if overused.

🚫 May sound hesitant or dismissive

✅ Encouraging exploration

An ellipsis functions more like a combination of a pause and a question mark which creates space for the client to think about the question.

Quotation marks("")

Quotation marks can be helpful for emphasizing key phrases or mirroring a client's words, but they must be used carefully to avoid sounding dismissive or sarcastic. Some people may also misuse them to emphasize words improperly.

🚫 Can seem invalidating

Misuse of quotation marks in real life

Brackets (())

Brackets can be useful for adding clarifications, softening statements, or providing additional context in text-based therapy. They allow therapists to include supplementary information without disrupting the flow of the main message. However, their overuse can make messages feel cluttered or overly formal.

When to use brackets

• To clarify a term or phrase without breaking sentence structure.
• To offer alternative wording when a concept might need additional explanation.
• To provide a gentle prompt or reminder without sounding too direct.

When to avoid brackets

• If the additional information is essential to understanding the message, consider rephrasing instead.
• When their use creates unnecessary complexity or disrupts readability.

🚫 Less effective: Overuse of brackets makes the message feel cluttered

✅ More effective: Using brackets to provide a gentle clarification

✅ Another effective example: Offering an alternative phrase to support clarity

Brackets should be used sparingly to enhance readability without overwhelming the client with too many ideas in one sentence. When in doubt, rephrasing can often be a clearer alternative.

Slow pace

Some clients take longer to process their thoughts and type out responses. This may be due to the complexity of their emotions, their typing speed, or the need to carefully consider their words.

Therapists should avoid pressuring slow responders while also ensuring the conversation doesn't lose momentum. This can be achieved by offering gentle acknowledgments, validating their experience, and creating space for reflection without overwhelming them with multiple messages.

While we previously discussed in the online presence module that if a client hasn't replied for a few minutes, sending a brief message can help maintain presence, it's important to recognize stable patterns. If a client consistently responds slowly or types at a slower pace, it is not necessary to repeatedly send messages such as, "Take your time..." after every pause.

However, there are exceptions. If you notice signs that the client may be dissociating or experiencing deep emotional distress, a different approach may be needed. In such cases, pacing strategies shift to help re-engage the client.

Fast pace

Some clients respond quickly and often send multiple messages in rapid succession. This may be due to strong emotions, urgency, a fast thought process, or simply their natural texting style.

Therapists should avoid mirroring a client's fast pace too closely, as it can create a sense of reactivity rather than reflection. Instead, the goal is to balance responsiveness with intentionality and ensures that the conversation remains thoughtful and productive.

Clients who type quickly may also expect equally fast responses. However, rushing to reply can compromise the quality of therapeutic engagement. If needed, therapists can acknowledge the client's pace while taking a moment to construct a meaningful response.

This approach reassures the client that their message is being carefully considered rather than dismissed or met with a reactive response.

Review the chat history

Revisiting previous messages helps ensure continuity and prevents repetition. It allows you to track emotional themes, identify patterns, and recall key details the client has shared.

(While waiting, the therapist reviews past messages and notices a similar concern about being unheard in personal relationships.)

Plan the next steps

Instead of responding impulsively, use waiting time to consider the direction of the conversation. Think about whether to validate, explore further, or gently challenge the client's perspective.

For example, if a client is venting frustration, you might reflect on whether they need emotional validation, problem-solving guidance, or space to express themselves.

(The therapist takes a moment to think before responding.)

Things you shouldn't do

Not all activities are productive while waiting. Some habits can negatively impact the therapeutic process:

• Getting distracted with personal activities
  This is not the time to check your phone, scroll through social media, or watch YouTube videos. Just as you wouldn't check WhatsApp during an in-person session. Staying fully present in text therapy is equally important.
• Focusing on unrelated clinical tasks
  While multitasking might seem efficient, working on other cases, such as writing session notes or reading another client's file, can break your focus and delay your responses. Clients can often sense when responses feel detached or lack continuity.