Where do I live as a therapist?

I was recently asked some excellent questions: Where do I live as a therapist? What lenses do I use to see through the clinical landscape of the client? I think its critical to regularly reflect on who and what we are as therapists. We begin with our core training, and all being well we continually develop, educated not only by our continuing professional development, but more importantly by our clients, our self reflections and our ongoing clinical supervision. It would be easy to borrow from any and all traditions, mixing and matching at will. Only, we need to make sure that what we do has coherence and integration, and we need to make sure that it is as effective as we can make it. Whatever we choose, we must know why it is a fit, and how it works. In neuro-lingistic programming we call this modelling, understanding the structure (not the content) of the client's presentation, and tailoring interventions that provide possibilities and growth from this place. So where do I live? The map I use for the territory of my clients’ experience is that of outcome-oriented psychotherapy, grounded in neuro-linguistic programming. The theory of mind that informs me is psycho-dynamic, and I use a range of approaches that fit within my outcome orientation, EMDR among them. My interest is in lived experience, in the body as well as the mind, in spirituality, and most of all in working relationally. All of this is true to my roots within NLP, and my ongoing experience as a trauma therapist. I encourage all psychotherapists to be clear about both where they come from, and also where they now reside. Our lenses influence so profoundly what we notice, it is our duty to be aware of the glasses we wear, and their consequences, both good and unintended. #psychotherapy #therapy #therapist #counselling