Reciprocating Gift Of Therapy Essay

The Reciprocating Gift of Therapy Therapy is not only a gift for the client, but also a gift for the counselor. To be trusted with the secrets of our clients is an honor. In the book, The Gift of Therapy: An open letter to a new generation of therapists and their patients by Irvin D. Yalom, I learned to respect and preserve the integrity of the counseling process. To be an effective counselor one must be present with the client, developing a relationship with them, and helping them find purpose. Therapists must investigate their own techniques surrounding self-disclosure and dream therapy. There are threats to the profession and we must be aware of these to maintain professionalism and reduce burnout. As we explore these topics we will

The sessions I experienced were one sided. My counselor felt very comfortable to be vulnerable with me, unfortunately I did not feel the same way. The counseling tables turned in the five session we explored as I asked him more questions, and by the third session he was disclosing to me what it was like to work for the center I plan to intern. In two separate sessions he shared his own struggles with the management of the center and how burnout became an issue for him to the point that he needed to leave. Part of me wanted to learn more about the center I was getting prepared to work at, as I succumbed to his divulgence of the stress associated with his old position. My own lack of trying to keep him engaged in my struggles failed and he quickly became my client. He told me the struggles he went through and his coping mechanisms for dealing with the center and the employees who did him wrong. We explored quite a bit of his past job, rarely focusing on any of my own concerns. Though I was the one paying him for his time. I felt unable to be vulnerable with him, so I did not feel effective counseling occur. Had he checked in with me and my feelings, I could have shared my