the therapist
The therapist is both the tools and the method of this kind of therapy. A real personal relationship between client and therapist is the arena of therapy. The intimacy of their connection comes from their combined experience and skills.
The therapist leaves preconceptions and scepticism behind. Rather than teach the language of their therapy, they put aside their own familiar world to learn their client's language and frame of reference Their simple certainties of what is best to do and not to do and which way is up and which way is down may not be the same as their client's.
The therapist clears their mind and senses to make them available to help someone else experience themselves and their world more fully. When the therapist's concerns and social niceties are left behind a client's train of thought can emerge in the conversation. To learn how to allow this to happen a therapist explores their experiences in their own supervision or therapy.
therapist awareness
We view each other through the lenses of our minds, bodies and senses. A Person Centered Therapist works to keep these clear to experience the other person fully.
Therapists try not to let their own prejudices and distortions intrude into therapy. But before we can suspend our preconceptions we have to notice them.
We begin to see the other person clearly as the filters of our projections fall from our eyes and we see (perhaps for the first time) who is there in front of us rather than who we had feared, hoped or expected. Seeing who is actually there rather than what they mean to us by noticing both our rational and irrational biases and then subtracting them from our perceptions.
Our fear of someone or their situation is a fear of the feelings they might bring up in us. When therapists are frightened or feel guilty towards clients, the consequent feelings of hatred or dislike show up in complaints or jokes with colleagues.
Excitement at the end of a session might suggest relief from tension. A feeling of worth or power might suggest collusion or identification.
not knowing
Therapy is a journey into the unknown. A therapist who copes with the uncertainty and finds ways of not knowing will allow their clients' stories to fully unfold. Not knowing is sometimes as valuable as not doing.
Clients can be insightful, successful, clever and understanding but it is not so important for the therapist to be any of these. A therapist does not have to perform well as much as allow their clients to do so.
competence
A therapist can't take someone else much further than they have progressed themselves mentally and emotionally. As we sort ourselves out we become more open to experiencing other people and more available to them.
In my experience therapists who have been reasonably well parented or found a way to be re-parented and live fairly satisfying lives are able to be there for others without becoming entangled in problems.
I suspect that life experience, persistence and being comfortable are useful. Calm and clarity might help. A clear note can be heard amid noise and clamour.
working conditions
In order to model autonomous activity, feeling and thinking, self determination and authenticity therapists need to be free agents with sufficient discretionary power and delegated authority in a workspace where the nature and extent of this is obvious to everyone including clients.
the therapist is more important than the therapy
Research over the decades tends to show that the naïve understanding and responses of someone untrained but caring is at least as useful as the practised procedures of a trained and experienced therapist. Success in therapy depends on the therapist rather than the therapy they use. Therapies show mixed success rates. Therapists show more consistent results. johnbrasted.com suggests ways to be rather than what to do.
The rug-weaver leaves a small imperfection in a corner because perfection belongs only to heaven. These seven principles of therapy are guides that imperfectly map the territory. If they were exactly perfected they might well fail. More is needed. They need a therapist and interpretation.
conclusion
After a therapist searches their theories for an appropriate response to a situation, they have to choose what to use and when and how. They cannot escape making their own call. Eventually they have to find a response from within themselves. Ultimate responsibility lies within ourselves to evaluate a situation and interpret a theory.
I go so far as to say that therapy can't be reduced to a neat formula. The therapist is the formula and every therapist is different.
copyright (C) John Brasted 2008
updated 20. Nov. 2011
