Psychotherapists are people who have been through
a considerable amount of schooling and training in psychology.
Most of them are paid well to care about their clients
who are trying to resolve problems that keep them
from living a happier and more fulfilling existence.
They will usually sit in a comfortable chair across from the patient
and try to listen closely to what the patient is saying.
They know that careful listening can build trust between them
and the patient and that in some cases the patient
will express that they feel better during a session
by virtue of having gotten something pertinent off their chest.
During a session, the therapist will often respond
with sounds like, “Ah ha, Oh,” and sometimes “Hmm.”
Sometimes they will respond with short phrases like,
“Yes, I see!” or “I hear what you’re saying!”
They will sometimes even ask questions like,
“How long have you felt that way?”
and “Why do you think your parents treated you like that?”
They believe that their schooling, training, and knowledge
of human behavior makes them experts in giving advice as well,
which can range from telling the patient they should get a dog
or a cat, to advising that they try to made a friend
who has at least one of the same interests.
With regard to their clients, they do not appreciate complaints
that they’re charging too much for their services,
nor do they like to hear the patient complain
that they should have made more progress by now.
If this should occur, they will assure them
that they are making progress and that each person is different
with regard to how long it takes to resolve their issues.
One constant that all therapists share is that they check the time
throughout a session, and when it’s over they will gently say,
“We need to stop now. We’ll continue where we left off
in our next session…”
We Survived
By Leila Farjami
