Being a Therapist, Essay Example

Introduction

Therapists in today’s society, play a vital role. The main role is to give treatment to a health problem. There are many types of therapists with regard to their fields of specialization. A therapist must understand the individual seeking help where they help in the recovery phase, make them comfortable and at ease during the process. Finally, they should comfort them and give them an assurance that all will be well. In this essay, we shall focus on a family therapist and the problems they encounter.

A family therapist is an individual who has specialized in a branch psychotherapy, which focuses on improving the relationship between family members and also, couples. Family relationship is a fundamental aspect of psychological health. This therapy requires direct participation of the family member for it to be beneficial. The therapist, expected to pinpoint the problem and approach it from a professional angle and solve it. People tend to see the therapist as a person who answers and gives solutions to all questions and problems, but what they forget is that they are human beings like the rest of us. They eat, sleep, feel pain, have a sense of humour the way we all do. The question is whom they go to burden their problems to because, ‘A problem shared is half solved’. Do they go to other therapists? How do they act when a client(s) become offensive? This essay will discuss a family therapist in different scenarios and how she should act.

Like any other person, a family therapist is bound to fail for one reason (he/she is human) or another. The therapist may fail due to several reasons, but what is essential is how they handle the situation. The failure may be particularly disappointing to the therapist. Lack of skill may lead to failure. Failure can make one sad, which further sabotages the ability of this therapist (Pribram & King, 1996). Unless they understand that positive change will be required to turn the situation around and improve performing skills, the failure will persist. As a therapist, seeking social support would be the first step, being close to family members and friends would help. Acceptance is also imperative. Research has shown that, use of humour and positive reframing helps in the recovery process. After acceptance and recovery process, the therapist should try and improve the efficiency of the previous area. For example, if the therapist could not help a client who later committed suicide due to pressure, the therapist feels she has failed especially if it has ever happened before. If the therapist takes a refresher course and also advances in further studies, this may help to avoid failure in the future.

As a therapist, one has a personal and professional life. These two roles complete each other. Apart from other few careers only this one, has a ultra thin membrane between work and play, professional and personal life. This can be viewed as a calling rather than a job. However, some family therapists become so caught up with work and forget the outside world. Such a therapist develops a one dimensional attitude towards all her relationships. The personal and professional aspects of the therapist are merged into a unified perception of oneself and the world (Kottler, 2000). Mostly, they usually have a burning desire to work through personal conflict. They assume the by solving others problems they solve their own. Her lifestyle is affected and also her emotional stability, the course her sessions take and her values. We must understand that personal variables and myriad random distinctly affect therapy. For a family therapist not to have a fused personal and professional dimension, she will be required to be a social person. This will involve visiting family and friends, dating if not married and a list of fun things to do every week. It is suggested that pets can also be excellent company. She will be required to follow the tenets of her theory while at work. This will ensure her work will not be affected.

Therapists are normal people, and they have friends and family. It has been suggested that the therapist viewed as a much more social therapist as compared to a doctor. The constant consultation from family and friends may make the therapist feel that she is always on duty. Family and friends will see no need of seeking advice from other persons while they can get it from a professional for free. Family and friends may have extraordinarily high expectations, and as a therapist, one may end up hurting or disappointing them. It is extremely noteworthy that the therapist makes them understand the extent she is willing to help. This makes them respect the line between social therapist and a professional one.

The therapist must also mind about her own personal life by having principles and ambitions. A reputable therapist is one who leads by example. The therapist must be able to apply the advice she gives to her clients to her life. This is important to the therapist because a therapist is a healer, and at some point, the therapist requires to heal themselves (Kottler, 2000). The therapist is used to repeat words and phrases which are similar to different clients, if the therapist is keen on their clients. These just become words they say with reference to a situation. This can affect the therapy and eventually the therapist work.

Family therapists viewed as role models and people trust them to put their relationships and their loved ones back on the right track. How will a therapist be able to save a couple’s marriage if her own is at jeopardy? The therapist should not be a person who preaches water and drinks wine. They should be able to take their own teachings and advice and mould their life to improve their interactions with their clients. Failures to do this, the therapist will at some point, disappoint a client and this considered to be failure, which will in return affect her work and eventually the therapist herself (Kottler, 2000).

The therapist should take time and critically analyze situations, and apply this to everyday life. A therapist should have a high degree of acceptance when they have done a mistake. When such a situation happens during a therapy session they should be able to apologize. This is a magnanimous gesture to the client. In today’s society, a therapist will always be viewed as a mentor and anything else considered a fail. Self-healing processes for therapists can only be achieved by considering aspects relating to physiotherapy. Therapists will need to give themselves a chance to explore and read books on how to administer self-healing when a problem directly affects their life. This process will increase their chances of encouraging self-healing processes and subject their life to potential breakthroughs in difficult situations. It is evident that therapists can achieve self-healing processes successfully by investigating further and watching videos that promote healing. Self-healing is achieved when therapists give themselves away to indulge in physiotherapy in maintaining balance with life. This reflects greatly on their therapeutic sessions when interacting with clients. Disturbed therapists give wrong evaluations. Therefore, self-healing concepts will reduce the chances of failing or giving wrong diagnosis.

References

Bohart, A. C & Tallman, K (1999). How Clients Make therapy work; the process of active self-healing. American Psychological Association, 4 (35), 312.

Kottler, J. A. (2000). The Family Therapist’s Own Family. The Family Journal, 8 (2), 143-148.

Pribram, K. H., & King, J. (1996). Learning as self-organization. New York: Routledge. p 475.