I completely agree about looking at the clock. I think it puts people on edge when they know that there's a time limit. So I got a small table-top clock (I call it my "therapist clock") and I set it right behind where people in my office would sit. This way I can pay attention to the time and pace the conversation, without breaking the flow of conversation to check the time. I've had a ton of success with this, and I've actually received some good feedback from folks about it -- so even though they know my trick, they like and appreciate it. :)