Opinion: Clients bring politics into the therapy room. Here’s what that means for the therapist
"Despite a general meaningful aspiration to remain focused on the patient and their treatment needs, therapists bring their own baggage, perspective, vulnerability, politics, and feeling," writes Sarah Darghouth.
“Can I tell you what I really think about what’s going on?” she asks, looking down and clutching her coffee, her right sneaker tapping. I had been fairly sure about two things ahead of our session: one, that she would talk about the Conflict, and two, that I would dislike what she was going to say.
I gulp what I hope is a hidden gulp, every inch of me wanting to tell her no actually, can we please not go there and just stick with your relationship unhappiness? I would so much rather we do that. I have spent the past two months now immersed in this Conflict — reading on it every free moment I have, before work, in between patients, with patients, after work, with friends, with family, on chats. It’s been nonstop. A constant flow of adrenaline has been pushing through me.
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