Therapists Spill: What I Learned from My Toughest Client

We often learn our most important lessons from our toughest trials. These are the lessons that’ll likely stay with us years after we’ve learned them. When it comes to lessons, therapy tends to be a two-way street: Clients learn from their clinicians — everything from coping with painful emotions to building healthy relationships. Therapists, too, learn from their clients — everything from how to conduct therapy to how to approach their own lives. We asked six clinicians to share the eye-opening insights they’ve taken away from their most challenging clients. Below, they reveal their lessons, which include wisdom they’ve gained early on in their career and insights they learn every day. The Strength of the Human Spirit “[M]ost of the clients I see are tough,” said Xue Yang, LCSW, a trauma therapist using Somatic Experiencing (SE) in Houston, Texas. These clients also are vulnerable, she said. “Sitting with these types of clients feels like looking at the soft underbelly of the tiger and seeing the tiger’s teeth and hearing the growl all at the same time. The pain and suffering of these clients are palpable. It is difficult to be in the presence of so much heart brokenness and at the same time hope.” Even though Yang’s clients have suffered so much, they’re still able to laugh, perform demanding jobs and navigate the normal routines of daily life, she said. “This is the difficulty, knowing their great hope and feeling their suffering, at ...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: General Phobias Psychology Psychotherapy PTSD Social Phobia Therapists Spill Agoraphobia Anxiety difficult clients lessons Low Self Esteem therapy challenges tough clients Trauma Source Type: news