I shouldn’t be here.
Why not?
……………………….
……………………….
……………………….
Only weaklings need therapy.
And you’re not weak.
……………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
.
No. I’m a grownup.
What’s that mean to you?
……………………….
……………………….
……………………….
I don’t need anyone’s help.
……………………….
……………………….
……………………….
……………………….
…………………………….
I stand on my own two feet
……………………….
……………………….
……………………….
I am the master of my fate.
……………………….
……………………….
……………………….
………………………..
July 20th, 2011 at 5:20 am
Some people call their therapists “personal coaches” or “executive coaches” . If they are more comfortable using those names, what’s the harm?
July 20th, 2011 at 9:59 am
is this a rhetorical question?
July 20th, 2011 at 11:25 am
I was trying to get a response from Steve and/or Bert, without declaring whether or not I personally thought it was okay ( or otherwise appropriate ) for people, when speaking or otherwise communicating to another person or persons, to refer to their therapist as a “personal coach” or “executive coach”.
On the one hand the person may not be truly authentic with him or herself thereby possibly leading to internal conflict with oneself and on the other hand, it could be said that some interactions which go on betwen a professional “personal coach” and his/her client is very similar or identical to the interactions taking place between a therapist and his/her client in similar situations. ( I am assuming that the therapist is a licensed and professional trained “therapist”).
It comes back to the correctness of a statement appearing in the cartoon, namely, “Only weaklings need therapy”. In my part of Canada, based upon listening or reading to social media, the prevailing public’s overall view would approve of same.
Would Steve or Bert care to chime in?
July 20th, 2011 at 11:58 am
(Steve’s response:) Well, I assume there are similarities between therapy and coaching, but also important differences. (For example, I’d expect therapy to deal with unconscious material in ways coaching does not.) That aside, I’m not sure how it’s anyone’s business to judge the appropriateness of how another person chooses to label his/her therapist. Similarly, questions of “authenticity” and “internal conflict” are pretty personal stuff, and I’d hesitate to comment on same unless explicitly invited by the individual. Freud had a good line about people who go around interpreting other people. “Analysis without permission,” he said, “is aggression.”
(Bert’s response:) I don’t believe “Only weaklings need therapy.” I used to, but that was just my fear talking. I’m a healthier monkey now. 🙂
July 20th, 2011 at 8:42 am
I really enjoyed this one. It made me laugh 🙂
July 20th, 2011 at 9:59 am
It’s not nice to laugh at disturbed monkeys, Elvita. 🙂
July 20th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Who care’s what you call it, as long as your there and feel safe. Honesty is always the best policy even with yourself…
July 22nd, 2011 at 12:15 am
What resources would you say Bert’s counsellor possibly accessed in working with him in this stage? It’s a stage (I don’t need to be here) that I always struggle with…
July 22nd, 2011 at 5:31 am
My own preference is to go with the resistance. That usually means helping someone identify their ambivalent or anxious feelings and put them into words. If their feelings are strong I may go so far as to suggest (ie, offer permission) that they postpone the whole project until they feel better about it. The usual result is that they end up feeling heard, accepted and safe, and so, paradoxically, wanting to return. It’s a sort of emotional judo. And most relationships — clinical and otherwise — could only benefit from healthy doses of it.