I have come to believe. Despite my initial concerns, having undertaken several relevant trainings in short term work, I now know it to be highly effective in certain circumstances. For some individuals, time limited work is the way forward, enabling them to make a concerted effort to bring about the changes they wish to see, and this focused energy in collaboration with directive facilitation can catalyse maximum effectiveness.
Therapy is about having a space to think. If that space is empty, it can feel unsafe. Whilst there is a lot to be said for my role as an empty vessel, bringing a blank canvas onto which a client can paint, in short term work I believe it my duty to bring quite a lot into the therapy room, where an agenda is not only useful, it is essential. A clear plan can make the difference between a series of chats, and a productive therapy in which problems are clearly identified and then addressed. There is an ocean of difference between awareness and action and more often than not I encounter individuals with a great deal of awareness, often gained through painful experiences, who struggle to make the most of this. With as few as 4 sessions, significant change is possible. Awareness needs to be converted into action. This is the recipe. Therapy provides the ingredients, and environment in which hope may turn into courage, where the past and present, conscious and unconscious are blended, and ultimately transformed into something digestable.
Experience has shown me that when it gets uncomfortable enough, we change. People have spoken of the gift of despair. Sometimes we really need to understand what doesn't work, before discovering an alternative solution. Having company along the way, no matter how briefly, can and does alter our perspective changing the way we see things, and how we relate to ourselves and to the world.
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