A LMHC colleague of mine, Chris Diederich, posted the above and it rang true for me.. One way it rang true for me is that sometimes, people come to therapy, desperate.
Whether intentionally or not, they lay their problems before their new therapist and pretty much say, “FIX IT!”
—--- As if!
As you can see from the above writing of Chris Diederich, along with the selected photo that he shared with his fellow colleagues, none of us are Superman (or Wonder Woman for that matter).
Most therapists agree with Chris. One common superpower among therapists is knowing how all too human we are.That includes accepting our weakness and the secret power is we learn to use that and appropriate that experience, along with some practiced arts, tools and science as we enter into a therapeutic alliance with clients. We join with our fellows who seek to address struggles and concerns about being human and human experience.
Most therapists would agree that the relationship is even more important than the techniques we use or even characteristics of our clients or ourselves, which surely add to the stockpile of mutual resources.
The relationship between us is essentially the foundation upon which trust, safety, collaboration and mutual work towards goals takes place.
As we work, we recognize again and again how essential connection is for us human beings. And that is the “secret” that comes closest to us having a superpower.
Most of us come to appreciate the humanity of our clients. We have a front seat to witness our capacity for change, growth and transformations that occur.
It definitely impacts us therapists!
Like Chris says, “You are my hero, too”
Call me if you are curious about forging a therapeutic relationship with me. It could be a next step in your pursuit of healing. Feel free to use the contact form on my website or reach out to me via text or voice message at 845-202-9774.
(as seen on “LMHC Licensed Mental Health Counselors and LPC Central", with the writer granting permission to use his piece)
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