'What's going through my head?"

Last night we got into a very interesting discussion after seeing Christine Padesky's performance on video. We got a good feel on how to conduct Cognitive Therapy, and it is indeed quite magical the way she conducts the session. Very flowing.

It seems however the issues that the client was bringing to the session raised a few reactions from the group watching it. Some thought the client's problems were not really 'pathological' and in anyway different from problems that we all face 'normally' from time to time. Others felt the need to share thoughts on the experience of pain, suffering and emotional disturbance, to say ultimately, I guess, that not everything in life is seen by people in the same way. In other words, what appears to be a problem for X may not be a problem for Y.

There are few lessons we can extract from this: A) that when a client does come with a problem and searches for help to go through this, we need to let go of our personal belief systems, yet making recognition of them, and working with them, to best serve the client's need. Emotional pain cannot be measured, and indeed what somebody might consider a problem, somebody else might work very effectively around it. B) that from time to time, we 'therapists', will bring our own baggage and belief systems to therapy in response to client's experience of pain and suffering, and that this isn't necessarily wrong or right, but just one more process, that we can build on, in order to be able to deliver to clients the support they need.

'What's going through my head?' is an interesting question that we have to bring to the therapeutic process if we really want to overcome personal beliefs and limitations, for the purposes of greater therapeutic alliance and keep therapy effective."