Psychotherapy concepts and practice

Psychotherapy

Suggest several ways the therapist can guide the client from an external to an internal focus. Be specific.

In order to help a client shift their focus from external sources, such as historical events, past relationships, and the problematic behavior of other people, to an internal focus, where the client examines his or her own thoughts, feelings, and reactions to situations, there are several steps that can be taken. First, the therapist should help the client focus on identifying, understanding, and changing him or herself, rather than just complaining about other people. The therapist must use careful language that does not make the client feel invalidated or guilty. Then, the client must become active in the therapy, realizing that he or she can change personal reactions and behaviors, which is enabled by the therapist providing a supportive and secure relationship and environment for the client. The therapist can establish this relationship by showing the client that he or she is being listened to and taken seriously through inquiries that help shift the focus away from other people to the client, making the client more aware of internal feelings and reactions. It is important for the therapist to be aware of culture and other factors that might impede the client's ability to focus inward and address these factors with sensitivity.

12. Discuss how the therapist can use the client's anxiety as a signal or ally to help understand and resolve the client's problems.

Understanding what makes a client anxious and how the client has learned to cope with recurrent anxieties is the key to understanding the client's dynamics and planning treatment strategies. Clients become anxious when discussing areas of conflict for them. Anxiety must be identified in the client through signs such as nonverbal queues or tone of voice. Asking clients about their feelings when they show signs of being anxious and therefore helping them to focus on that anxiety will lead them closer to the source of their problems. The issues that make a client anxious are linked to the client's core conflicts which need to be explored further.

13. Therapists can provide a safe "holding environment" to contain the client's feelings. Explain what this is and how it works.