Self Improvement

Not one of us is perfect. All of us have personal strengths as well as weaknesses. States of well being can be reached when we recognize our gifts and then get involved in community and look to others who manifest strengths in areas we are weak. This is where therapy is so helpful. We then co-create our worlds in conjunction with someone who can help us grow and develop. This is the magic of a good client therapist relationship.

The role of the therapist is to:

* Listen non-judgementally
* Give feedback
* Encourage when appropriate
* Exhort when appropriate
* Help the client grow and develop because of any difficulties in life.
* Live in the client's reality for a short period of time.
* Separate self from the client
* Serve with compassion
* Listen empathically

The role of the client is to:

* Work with the therapist in an effort to remedy problems. Don't expect the therapist to do the fixing.
* Evaluate with the therapist areas of life that need changing.
* Learn to forgive those who have provided life challenges.
* Drop the victim role and become an active part in the therapeutic process.
* Realize that therapy is not exclusively a process of crying uncried tears, but rather an upward spiral of onward progression toward a productive life.
* Be proactive in the development of a therapist client relationship.

Dear readers: Can you suggest ways in which both therapists and clients can work together to solve life's issues? I'd like to hear from both therapists and clients regarding these issues.

I'm Barbara Altman
Raised in an alcoholic home, I became depressed and anxious at an early age. In an effort to build a good life, I turned to my love of classical music for solace. Over the years, I have dealt with depression in a variety of ways, from counseling to alternative and traditional healing modalities.
http://WWW.depressiontorecovery.com