March 2021
In wondering what to write about in my monthly articles, I listen to what’s going on around me in order to identify what I sense is what needs to be said. For my article this month, I thought I’d get back to basics and examine what counselling and psychotherapy are as well as that they try to achieve.
Counselling is recommended for specific issues and situations, such as addiction or grief, and takes place over weeks to several months. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, explores issues in greater depth and takes account of past issues and patterns of behaviour that might be contributing to present day problems. This level of therapy takes place over a much longer period. There are many cross overs between counselling and psychotherapy, so what I shall say here, describes them both.
In my own practice, I am always curious about a client’s past, their family history and family dynamics, relationships past and present, and when they can identify particular difficulties arising and how they dealt with them. I also want to know how well they sleep, the how and when of feelings of anxiety, moodiness, sense of calm and contentment, excitement, and so on. These give me significant clues as to how to proceed.
So, what is the main function of counselling/psychotherapy? It is to help clients come to know their own strengths, discover what is preventing them from using those strengths, and clarify the kind of person they want to be. They are encouraged to honestly examine their behaviour and lifestyle as well as learn how to make decisions to modify the quality of their life.
This is collaborative work, and are no magic solutions. The pathway for successful counselling/psychotherapy arises from the quality of the therapeutic relationship that, when it is working well, offers support and warmth as well as challenge and confrontation. The latter is sometimes really necessary if old patterns have a chance of being released.
Contrary to certain popular ideas, the counsellor/psychotherapist works hard. It may look as though we are just sitting there having a chat with the client. We are, on the contrary, very focussed as we listen, and draw upon our extensive studies and experience of human dynamics and behaviour; ours is a knowledge that takes account of human development, abnormal psychology, social and individual behaviour, neurology, sociology, cultural ideas, and the like. Central to what we do together is the keeping in confidentiality of what is said to us. Those of us who are very experienced have practically heard it all, so the client doesn’t need to withhold anything. The greater the sense of safety, the more the client feels they are able to speak, and the therapist do their work.
Another tool that the counsellor/psychotherapist brings to the therapeutic situation is an ability to set aside their own assumptions and beliefs. This is called epoche. It means the therapist is present in a better state of clarity, with little agenda of their own, except to encourage a great easefulness for the client. It is in order to be able to practice our profession with this clarity that it is encouraged by most training institutions that therapists receive therapy of their own. I began my therapeutic career in the 70s when I studied Jungian psychology (even though I didn’t practice as a therapist for many years) and began serious self reflection through psychotherapy. This continued for many many years. I wrote my Master of Counselling degree dissertation on the subject of therapists who receive therapy. There I noted that such a strategy not only gives insight into one’s self, our relationships, and our style of being in the world, but served as an apprenticeship into this field. All of which makes for good therapy.
Probably the most effective tool in counselling/psychotherapy is the knowledge that the therapist will tailor their work according to the individual client. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. As Jung says, there are as many therapies as there are clients. We work together in the process of your healing and are thus, as therapists, a therapeutic person.
