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English — Official English version of systemic-questioning.

Systemic Questioning Techniques

Foundation

Systemic questioning techniques originate from systemic therapy and counseling. They aim to expand perspectives, make patterns visible, and open new possibilities. They are solution- and resource-oriented — not problem-fixated.

Central assumption: Problems do not arise within individuals, but in relationships and patterns between individuals.

Question Types

1. Circular Questions

Purpose: Encourage perspective shifts. The person is invited to take the position of others and recognize relationship patterns.

Basic Structure

"What do you think [Person X] sees/feels/thinks about this?"

Variations

Relationship questions:

• "What do you think your partner thinks when you withdraw?"
• "How would your best friend describe your relationship?"
• "If I asked your brother what the biggest problem in the family is — what would he say?"

Difference questions:

• "Who in the family suffers most from the situation?"
• "Who would notice the change first?"
• "Who are you closer to — your mother or your father?"

Agreement questions:

• "Would your partner agree with that?"
• "Who in your circle sees it similarly to you?"

Classification questions:

• "If you ranked your family members by who handles conflicts best — what would the order be?"

2. Scaling Questions

Purpose: Make abstract states measurable, make progress visible, concretize goals. Developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg.

Basic Structure

"On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is [Pole A] and 10 is [Pole B] — where are you right now?"

Variations

State scaling:

• "On a scale of 0 to 10 — how burdened do you feel right now?"
• "Where on the scale were you last week?"

Progress scaling:

• "Where were you on this scale a month ago?"
• "What contributed to you moving from a 3 to a 5?"

Goal scaling:

• "Where on the scale would you need to be for it to be 'good enough'?"
• "What would be different if you were one point higher?"

Confidence scaling:

• "How confident are you on a scale of 0 to 10 that you can do this?"
• "What would you need to be one point more confident?"

Relationship scaling:

• "Where on the scale would your partner rate your relationship?"

Follow-up Questions (essential!)

• "What has kept you from being at 0?" (Resource activation)
• "What would need to happen for you to be one point higher?" (Small-step solution orientation)
• "How would you know you're at [target value]?" (Concretization)

3. The Miracle Question

Purpose: Goal clarification and solution vision. Bypasses problem-thinking and activates solution imagination. Developed by Steve de Shazer.

Original Formulation

"Imagine you go to bed tonight and fall asleep. And while you are sleeping, a miracle happens. The problem that brought you here is solved. But you don't know it, because you were asleep. What would you notice first thing tomorrow morning that tells you the miracle has happened?"

Deepening Questions

• "What else would be different?"
• "Who would notice it first?"
• "What would [partner/colleague/friend] notice about you that's new?"
• "What would you do differently?"
• "Are there moments when the miracle is already happening a little bit?"

Shortened Variations

• "If the problem were gone tomorrow — what would be different?"
• "What would your ideal daily routine look like?"
• "If everything were the way you wish — what would you do?"

4. Exception Questions

Purpose: Identify times when the problem does NOT occur or occurs less. Shows that the person already has solution resources.

Basic Structure

"When is it different? When does the problem not occur?"

Variations

• "Have there been moments recently when it was better?"
• "What was different about those moments?"
• "What did YOU do differently in those moments?"
• "Who was there? What was the environment like?"
• "How did you manage to make it better in that moment?"
• "What would need to happen for those exceptions to become more frequent?"

5. Hypothetical Questions

Purpose: Open new thinking spaces, loosen rigid beliefs, mentally rehearse options.

Variations

• "Suppose you just tried it — what could happen in the best case?"
• "What would happen if you did the opposite of what you normally do?"
• "If you were to give advice to someone in the same situation — what would you say?"
• "If fear played no role — what would you do?"
• "If you looked back at today from 5 years in the future — what would you advise yourself?"

6. Deterioration Questions (Paradoxical Intervention)

Purpose: Strengthen sense of control. If someone can describe how to make the problem worse, they clearly have influence over it — and can also improve it.

Variations

• "What could you do to guarantee it gets worse?"
• "How could you make sure the argument escalates?"
• "What would need to happen for everything to go completely wrong?"

Important: This technique is NOT suitable for acute crisis, suicidality, or severe depression.

Context-Sensitive Selection

Combinations

Systemic questions unfold their full effect in combination:

Pattern: Scaling + Exception + Small Step

1. "On a scale of 0-10, where are you right now?" -> e.g., "4"
2. "What has kept you from being at 0?" (Resources!)
3. "Were there moments when you were at 5 or higher?" (Exceptions!)
4. "What was different then?" (Recognize patterns!)
5. "What would be the smallest step to go from 4 to 5?" (Action!)

Pattern: Miracle Question + Circular + Scaling

1. Ask the miracle question (generate target image)
2. "Who would notice it first?" (Circular — relationship context)
3. "How far along are you already on the way to the miracle?" (Scaling — progress)

Pattern: Circular + Hypothetical

1. "What do you think your boss sees in this situation?"
2. "Suppose they said exactly what you suspect — what could you do then?"

Dos and Don'ts

Dos

• Ask openly — no leading questions
• Stay curious — the answer is more valuable than the question
• Allow pauses — good questions need time
• Build on answers — follow-up is more important than the next technique
• Frame appreciatively — "What did you accomplish?" rather than "What did you do wrong?"

Don'ts

• Don't interrogate — max 2-3 questions in a row, then reflect
• Not during acute crisis — first stabilize, then explore
• Not as manipulation — questions must be authentically curious
• Deterioration questions never with suicidality — never

Ethical Guidelines

An AI assistant may ask systemic questions to foster reflection and perspective expansion.

An AI assistant must NOT:

• Use systemic questions as a diagnostic instrument
• Conduct relationship counseling that replaces professional therapy
• Work exclusively with questions during acute crisis — stabilization first
• Use deterioration questions with fragile states

See: ETHICS.md

In case of acute crisis, ALWAYS refer to:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): 988
• Crisis Text Line (US): Text HOME to 741741
• Samaritans (UK): 116 123
• Telefonseelsorge (DE): 0800 111 0 111 / 0800 111 0 222
• Emergency services: 911 (US) / 112 (EU)

References

• de Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to Solution in Brief Therapy.
• Selvini Palazzoli, M. et al. (1981). Hypothesizing — Circularity — Neutrality.
• Schlippe, A. von & Schweitzer, J. (2012). Lehrbuch der systemischen Therapie und Beratung.
• Berg, I. K. & Dolan, Y. (2001). Tales of Solutions.

Ported from BACH v3.8.0 | Standalone Version