In my role as a clinical supervisor, I am often asked what is the most important aspect of psychotherapy. I think the most important part of psychotherapy is the relationship between the therapist and the client.
An example from my own therapy will illustrate this point: I had been in therapy for a while and during a session my therapist asked me if I felt sad. I did and even though I had not been talking about sadness, I was struck how the therapist had tried to tune in to my feelings and to help me to give a voice to my sadness. It was a healing moment for me and I have never felt the same since that simple intervention. That long buried sadness from childhood had been seen and understood by a compassionate adult.
I was able to hear what the therapist was asking because I was used to sharing with him and trusted him. The therapeutic relationship provided the foundation upon which I could become more conscious of my feelings and talk about them.
I have included a link to an article that clearly articulates this principle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/health/policy/06doctors.html?ref=health
An example from my own therapy will illustrate this point: I had been in therapy for a while and during a session my therapist asked me if I felt sad. I did and even though I had not been talking about sadness, I was struck how the therapist had tried to tune in to my feelings and to help me to give a voice to my sadness. It was a healing moment for me and I have never felt the same since that simple intervention. That long buried sadness from childhood had been seen and understood by a compassionate adult.
I was able to hear what the therapist was asking because I was used to sharing with him and trusted him. The therapeutic relationship provided the foundation upon which I could become more conscious of my feelings and talk about them.
I have included a link to an article that clearly articulates this principle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/health/policy/06doctors.html?ref=health
