Welcome to our Clean Collection!
Our purpose for this site is to provide a record of the continual development of the field originated by David Grove – in particular applications of Clean Language, metaphor and Symbolic Modelling.
We created the original website in 1997, so we guess that makes us early adopters! The site accumulated nearly 400 articles, blogs and resource pages. Transferring them all to the new-style website will take some time. Rather than wait for it to be complete, we are launching the site with about fifty of the classic articles and blogs, with more to be added week by week.

If you are new to Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling, here are some introductory articles:
- Coaching: Coaching with Metaphor
- Therapy: Tangled Spaghetti in My Head
- Health: The Mind, Metaphor and Health
- Education: Learning Metaphors
- Business: Metaphors of Organisation
And we have compiled a list of over 120 articles published in academic and professional journals that have incorporated the ideas of David Grove – many available for instant download.
And finally, while browsing the site if you come across any errors, typos, and other gremlins that may have crept in during the transfer, please let us know via the Contact page. We’d appreciate your help.
Penny Tompkins and James Lawley
Recent Articles
Publications using David Grove’s ideas
List of transcripts with Ukrainian therapists
I am the owner of my head!
A Fire that’s Good Enough
A Double Bind waiting for change
I am freedom and I am independence
Latest blog posts
Do we want agency over our inner signals?
Ten questions and answers about Symbolic Modelling
Origin and Development of the Cleanness Rating
The evolution of the Problem-Remedy-Outcome (PRO) model
I want a clean house
Steve Andreas on ‘What would you like to have happen?’
14 - 17 September
Guldenberg, Netherlands
25-30 September 2023
Lesbos, Greece
Clean Language + Focusing + Idiolektik
InsideClean Series 1 to 4

Penny Tompkins
James Lawley
Marian Way
Four recorded workshops in each series
+ extra resources
+ bonus material
First book on Clean Language Interviewing
Available NOW from Emerald Publishing
EDITORS
Heather Cairns-Lee
James Lawley
Paul Tosey