22 May
Posted by: admin in: Emotional Health, Online Counseling, Therapists/Counselors, Therapy/Counseling

by KC Kelly, Ph.D., LMHC
www.DOCintheBiz.com
What is the best way for a Therapist to help a client in need? Well, every therapist or “helper” has their own epistomology (way of thinking) of what is best for their clients. Many therapists have their specific models from which they work and don’t divert from their models, while others are more eclectic in their thinking and change their “plan of action” to meet the needs of each and every individual client that comes their way. I happen to be of the latter group of clinical, licensed psychotherapists.
I appreciate all the comments and references to my articles and I’m glad that people are finding them interesting and are seeing another side to the “changing attitude to changing your life” motif.
Please keep in mind that I feel there are MANY factors that lead to making changes in our lives. I bring up all sides of coin, so to speak, and do not lean one way or another.
I do recognize that there are many different dynamics in people’s existances that make them who they are and effect how they will go about making changes in their lives. I do not look at anyone’s situation as black and white. (i.e. Change your attitude, change your life.) I try to bring out all possibilities, including life history and upbringing, environmental factors, medical conditions (physical and mental), and personalities.
The different ways that counselors think and the different modalities of treatment they use are differences what make the world go around and give people in need many choices of therapists, counselors, life coaches or other helpers to help them. This is what is so great about people and their disparities of opinion. We bring different perspectives to situations and help each other to constantly learn.
I believe that the best “helper” is the one who can see all sides of a situation and without judgment or preconceived notions of what a client needs. Or even already concluded opinions of the only ways that clients can succeed in therapy. To me, that can very easily lead to failure. Hence, what I am saying is that there is no ONE way to help someone or see a situation. We, as helping professionals must evaluate and see all sides and facets of the person who seeks our help. All these components must be brought into the therapy sessions to determine the best route or course of action towards treatment.
I hope this article gives some insight to other helping professionals with the question, “What is the best way to help a client in need?” At the same time, I hope readers who may be looking for the appropriate therapist for them, can see What is the best way to help them find a therapist that is right them.
Prospective clients may also reference my article entitled:
Please visit me at http://DOCintheBiz.com for mental health self help links and the opportunity to email me for professional and confidential help with any concerns you may have. You are never alone!
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
http://docinthebiz.com/blog/how-to-find-a-good-therapist/
This article is copyrighted by docinthebiz.com and may be respectfully re-distributed for non-commercial educational purposes granted that website link and author credit remain intact.
17 Responses
Greta Green
22|May|2008 1Hello Dr,
I have been a faithful reader, but have been lax in my comments. Forgive me. I love reading what you write! I, too, believe that a “helper”, as you say, must see all sides of a situation. If they don’t, how can they possible give adequate help.
Keep writing, and I will keep reading.
Thank you again for your wisdom,
Greta
Dr. KC
22|May|2008 2Dear Greta,
I appreciate your loyalty in reading my articles. I am certainly glad you are getting some good insight from them as well. If there is anything in particular that you would like me to write about, please let me know. I am now taking questions from my readers.
Thank you for your comment and please keep reading and posting.
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Dr Roger
22|May|2008 3Hello again,
You probably do not want to hear this, but I do NOT believe there are an abundance of really good therapists out there.
I see that you are one in thousands!
A good therapist sees all sides of the patient, and is able to see their problem clearly even though, many times they themself do not understand exactly what is causing their life disruption. Once the problem is identified, then a good therapist finds the means to explain and then hand over the tools so that this individual can truly begin to heal themself.
Dr Roger
Greta Green
22|May|2008 4Thank you for you quick reply to me, Dr.
I do have some questions that disturb me, but rather than send them to you now, I am thinking of signing up for some private one on one emails with you. That is a very big step for me, and I am getting more and more ready to do so.
I think you are very wise.
Greta
» What is the Best Way for a Therapist to Help a Client in Need?
22|May|2008 5[...] Read the rest of this great post here [...]
Dr. KC
22|May|2008 6Dear Greta,
It is a very difficult step to take to reach out for help and I truly do understand this. I commend you on how brave you have become in getting ready to take this leap of faith. Please take your time and write in to me when you feel ready. This is a no pressure zone and I will certainly be here for you anytime you are in need.
Thank you for your comment.
All my best,
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Dr. KC
22|May|2008 7Dear Dr. Roger,
It is indeed a very difficult process to find a good therapist. I thank you for your compliment to me!
I think a “good” therapist is very a subjective thing to put your finger on since all clients need different personalities and modalities of therapy to help them. One client may think a therapist is wonderful, while another may not like that therapist’s approach at all. And that, as I have said before, is what makes the world go around.
I do agree, however, that ALL therapists should be able to see into an issue from different angles and find the one angle that the client does not see and point this out to him/her. I do indeed “arm” my clients with the “tools” they need to make life changes towards a happier and healthier lives.
Please visit my article on How to Find a Good Therapist for more on this topic.
I humbly thank you again for the compliment. It means a lot when it comes from a client as well as a professional like yourself!
Please keep reading and posting!
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
T-Roy
23|May|2008 8Dr. KC,
Hello Dear, I hope this reply finds you and your family in the best of health. I am doing fine, just been busy with work, but am back in the swing of things via e-mails. Thanks again for continually writing and sharing with us (your readers). I commend you on dealing with topics that are relevant to us. I agree with you, that a good Therapist should be willing to adapt their skills to the individual needs of their client, unfortunately (like Dr. Roger states) there are not a lot of good Therapist in todays world. Having been to one myself, I am observant of people who claim to be “here to help” and I have found that the majority of those I know…seem to need more education themselves. It is great to know that you excell above the average that I’m aware of. Please keep up what you are doing and know that I appreciate you and your work. As for a topic I would like to hear your thoughts on… What can Americans do to sustain a healthy marrage? It appears to me that although we (as a society) are making wonderful progress in technology, we are still lacking the basic essentials in maintaining healthy house holds.
Well, my dear friend…food for thought. Blessings to you and I’ll be in touch. Thanks again for all you are doing!
Dr. KC
23|May|2008 9Dear T-Roy,
Thank you so much for you comment and your very kind words. Your encouragement speaks volumes to me and I will always continue to write my best for my readers.
As far as your question about how to maintain a healthy marriage, I would like to refer you to my article, Recipe For an Emotionally Healthy and Happy Relationship. I think you may learn a lot from this post and gain much insight into happy and healthy relationships. My other articles about relationships (not necessarily on marriage, but you may still find interesting) can be found here: Relationships. Please let me know if you have any further questions on the subject.
Please keep reading and posting!
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Dr. Nicole Sundene
23|May|2008 10I agree with this. I think the best helper has a healthy tool box full of different kinds of tools. If all you have in your toolbox is a hammer all you will see is nails when treating problems.
As a family practitioner I am a bit more open minded than most because I understand that not every technique works for every patient. I need a diverse referral network to find the kind of therapist, counselor, life coach, or what not that will work for that particular patient.
Sometimes even the same kind of therapist will not work for a patient, so the more different kinds of therapists practicing the same philosophy even will be extremely helpful.
Dr. KC
23|May|2008 11Dear Dr. Nicole,
You and I agree completely. An eclectic therapist or doctor usually works best, as they can assess a patient’s/client’s needs to find the best treatment options.
Thank you for your comment.
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Joe
23|May|2008 12I have nothing to add, other than you are on my “must read” list every day.
Dr. KC
23|May|2008 13Dear Joe,
You have added more than you know! I cannot tell you how happy I am to have loyal readers such as yourself.
Thank you most sincerely for your comment.
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Axecity
23|May|2008 14I believe that the answer for this question lies within the client him/herself, the therapist can reach it through good communication and well prepared questions to his/her clients before deciding the best way.
Nothing suits all, the therapist might have different ways and approaches to deal with his/her clients, however, there is no best way in general, there is a best way for specific purpose. In my opinion, defining what suits the client is a challenging step that shows how much analytical skills does the therapist possess.
Dr. KC
23|May|2008 15Dear Axecity,
I couldn’t agree with you more and I hope my article has shown this. The therapist’s job is indeed to ask the right questions to get the client to come up with his/her own answers. That is what makes a good therapist who also has great intuition and has had great training.
No one therapist is right for everyone. Not every client is right for every therapist. That’s why we have so many choices.
Thank you so much for your comment.
Please keep reading and posting!
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
J.D. Meier
24|May|2008 16I like your integrated, holistic, and flexible approach.
I wonder if one of your key strengths is “Individualization” (from “Finding Your Strengths”)?
I’m not a doctor (and I don’t play one on TV), but I do create prescriptive guidance for software engineers (OK, I write technical books.) One of the things I learned was that perspective matters a bunch. So does the context or situation. Nothing speaks like results. I measure against effectiveness. So the real key is knowing the right tests for success. Sometimes it’s more difficult to figure out the tests than it is to figure out the solutions.
By measuring against effectiveness, this lets me draw from a wide range of techniques, even across industries, to find the most effective approach. For example, when designing software, one approach is to use “storyboarding,” which is actually a technique born from Disney’s Imagineers.
Dr. KC
24|May|2008 17Dear J.D.
I try to keep a well rounded eclectic approach when treating clients. Since I do believe that all clients have different needs, I do not see any other way than to assess their needs and then help them accordingly with the proper treatment modality (what would be best for the individual person).
You make a great comparison and parallel for what we both do! For one presentation a storyboard may be the best approach to market the idea you’re trying to sell, while another marketing technique will be best for another idea you are trying to sell. It is the same for therapy.
Thank you very much for your comment!
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
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