Despite the recent emphasis on treatment manuals and empirically supported techniques, psychotherapy remains more philosophical journey than scientific procedure. The therapeutic conversation, the heart of most therapy, is inherently an improvisational art. So how do we become masters of the art? This workshop will present guidelines to improve your conversational craft, no matter what your theoretical model. You'll learn how to turn clients' vague, generalized language into concrete, descriptive, sensory-based words that evoke the reality of their problems. You'll also gain skill in developing clear contracts to organize therapy and open the way to altering clients' view of themselves and the problems that bring them to us. A special emphasis will be placed on ways to set up "orthogonal" interactions with clients--conversations that shift their perspective rather than just offer another version of their familiar "problem-talk."