Understanding Psychotherapy
Clarifying the Roles of Therapy, Therapist, and Client
Psychologist explains the critical elements that define psycho-dynamic psychotherapy as a unique psychological treatment.
The main reason psychotherapy, or insight-oriented talk therapy, is one of the most difficult to define forms of therapy among the myriad psychological treatments that exist is because there are several types, each differing in some critical focus or road to recovery.
Despite this diversity, there are three factors that all insight-oriented talk psychotherapies have in common. They share
- a primary function of healing through insight built from communication,
- an expert guide, the therapist, who serves as a teacher and nurturer, and
- the client whose role is that of the vulnerable recipient of assistance.
Together, these elements create a unique environment where psychological and relational healing can occur.
Healing through Communication
Psychotherapy typically involves some form of interactive discussion. The client shares issues and the therapist listens, watches, and interprets what may be troubling the client. The process of having a chance to safely express pain, frustration, sadness, anger all in an accepting, non-judgmental atmosphere is a primary mechanism of healing. This communicative process allows clients to release emotion, have feelings validated, clarify thoughts, generate solutions, create meaning, and gain general insights into themselves and their world. The acts of communicating, both expressing and listening, allow for such insight to develop.
The Therapist as Teacher-Nurturer
The psychotherapist fills many roles. This expert is present to listen, support, observe, interpret, validate, empathize, accept, interact, and teach the client about their inner world. This professional uses the verbal and non-verbal information provided by the client to help the client make sense of their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. They act as filters, interpreters, and mirrors by sharing with the client what they see or understand about the client’s life. They also help clients make sense of their experiences, crises, and relationships, both past and present. They are there to guide, not judge, the individual who is seeking personal insight and psychological healing.
The Client as Vulnerable Recipient
Unlike the therapist, the client fills one main role: to be the seeker and receiver of assistance. The client is there to be heard, supported, observed, interpreted, validated, empathized with, accepted, interacted with, and taught about their psychological, emotional, and social worlds. The client is there to get all these benefits from a professional. This places the client in the role of needing or wanting something from another person, a position that may bring up feelings of inadequacy or vulnerability. The client is there to share their inner world, exposing the contents of heart and mind to both themselves and a professional. Clearly, the client’s role is one of vulnerable recipient.
It is in understanding these aspects of psychotherapy that it becomes clearer how the process can both challenge and heal the client who travels this road. To be able to face one’s vulnerability, to risk exposure and trust another person to be accepting and helpful, are the cornerstones of intimacy and mastering a meaningful relationship.
