From grimoire
Builds psychological safety through structured empathic listening for emotionally difficult or therapeutic conversations. Includes steps for presence, reflection, and withholding advice.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/grimoire:apply-active-listeningThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Create conditions for genuine understanding and psychological safety through structured empathic listening that validates experience, reflects meaning, and builds therapeutic alliance.
Create conditions for genuine understanding and psychological safety through structured empathic listening that validates experience, reflects meaning, and builds therapeutic alliance.
Adopted by: American Psychological Association counseling guidelines, WHO mental health gap action program (mhGAP), Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), US Army combat stress control programs, Samaritans and Crisis Text Line training curricula.
Impact: Rogers' core conditions (empathy, unconditional positive regard, congruence) predicted therapy outcomes more than technique in meta-analysis of 115 studies (Elliott et al., 2011, Psychotherapy); therapeutic alliance quality accounts for 30% of treatment outcome variance (Norcross, 2011, Psychotherapy Relationships That Work).
Why best: Creates the psychological safety necessary for honest self-disclosure, which is a prerequisite for any subsequent change work. Without alliance, techniques fail regardless of their evidence base.
Sources: Rogers, C.R. (1951). Client-Centered Therapy. Houghton Mifflin. Miller, W.R. & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational Interviewing (3rd ed.). Guilford. Gordon, T. (1970). Parent Effectiveness Training. Wyden.
Set physical and attentional presence — Establish SOLER posture: Squarely face the person, Open body posture, Lean slightly forward, Eye contact maintained, Relaxed stance. Eliminate competing stimuli (phone away, door closed).
Withhold advice and judgment — Consciously suspend the impulse to fix, explain, reassure, or evaluate for the duration of the listening phase. Active listening is not problem-solving.
Use minimal encouragers — Deploy brief verbal and non-verbal signals that communicate attention without interrupting: "Mm-hmm," "I see," head nods, brief "Go on." These signal engagement without redirecting.
Reflect content — Paraphrase the factual content of what was said in slightly different words to confirm accurate comprehension. "So what happened was..." Stay close to the person's own language.
Reflect feeling — Name the emotion embedded in the message: "It sounds like you're feeling..." Choose emotion words at the right intensity — under-naming minimizes, over-naming escalates. When unsure, offer a tentative reflection: "I'm sensing some anger — is that right?"
Reflect meaning — Articulate the deeper value or concern beneath the emotion: "What I'm hearing is that fairness really matters to you." This is the deepest level of reflection and builds the strongest alliance.
Summarize periodically — Collect the key themes across a segment of the conversation and offer them back as a coherent summary. This demonstrates comprehensive attention and helps the speaker organize their experience.
Use open questions to deepen, not redirect — When questions are needed, use open-ended questions that follow the speaker's direction: "What was that like for you?" not "Have you tried talking to them?"
Check accuracy — Invite correction: "Does that capture it, or is there something I'm missing?" This maintains collaborative rather than interpretive stance.
Transition explicitly — When shifting from listening to any other mode (advice, problem-solving), name the transition: "I'd like to offer a thought if that's okay — do you want that right now?" Do not assume.
npx claudepluginhub jeffreytse/grimoire --plugin grimoireCoaches active listening skills: receptive mindset, reflective paraphrasing, clarifying questions, and synthesis. Use for improving communication, preparing for difficult conversations, or when you talk more than you listen.
Applies active listening techniques adapted for adolescent communication patterns to maintain connection and support without advice-giving, fixing, or minimizing.
Provides structured psychological and philosophical guidance using IFS, DBT, CFT, Schema Therapy, Stoicism, Buddhism, and Jungian frameworks for exploring emotions, internal conflicts, and wisdom.