Posted by Dinah on November 22, 2008, at 23:33:13
In reply to Re: The Making of a Therapist » Dinah, posted by JoniS on November 19, 2008, at 13:06:01
A few quotes:
"Therapists often feel pressure to speak, feeling that they need to be "doing something" because simply "being" with the client is enough."
"Within the therapy relationship, silence provides a space for shared contemplation and mutual acceptance. Neither you nor your client needs to be charming, entertaining, or witty. Take the performance anxiety off of both of you and try to create a context for self reflection and mutual discovery. Sometimes the best strategy is no strategy at all."
"I thought being "professional" meant putting your own feelings aside, and what I understood fo taking a neutral stance only reinforced my position of the emotionless therapist. It took time for me to realize that, although I had to make a decision about what emotions to show, I needed to be keenly aware of my feelings and use them in my work."
This type of statement resonates so much with me as I think of my own therapist. A therapist using his being and his humanness to *be* the therapist, the agent of change.
Not that I'm unaware of his techniques. He uses body language a lot. Not mirroring, that would be of no use to me. But he definitely has a repertoire of therapeutic tricks. Still, he himself, his person and his being, has always been what's useful to me.
They sure aren't like washing machines. I don't know how I'd ever move to a different one if mine goes out of order.
poster:Dinah
thread:863794
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20081120/msgs/864801.html