By Chuck LeBlanc
Psychotherapy is something that is obviously near and dear to my heart. It is slightly different in practice than Psychology or Psychiatry because it has a lot to do with creating a non-judgemental safe space, being an empathic listener and a partner in the change process.
The father of Psychotherapy, Carl Rogers explained that:
“When someone really hears you without passing judgment on you, without trying to take responsibility for you, without trying to mold you, it feels damn good. . . . When I have been listened to and when I have been heard, I am able to re-perceive my world in a new way and to go on. It is astonishing how elements which seem insoluble become soluble when someone listens. How confusions which seem irremediable turn into relatively clear flowing streams when one is heard.”
Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person
You see, life is very complicated and along with happy, joyful and pleasant moments, a great many complicated, difficult and at times devastating things happen along the way. People too are just as complex. Often times when someone comes to therapy with a problem they are looking to work through, whether it be grief, anxiety, depression, trauma, or life transitions to name a few, they can feel stuck and unsure what to do next. These kinds of problems can bring a lot of shame or guilt to the mix which often makes it hard to pick up the phone and book an appointment in the first place.
What Psychotherapy provides is a safe, non-judgemental space where the client and therapist can get everything out on the table and work together to really see what’s going on. But part of that process involves a deep kind of listening by the therapist where the client understands that they are free to be who they are, feel what they feel, and move in the directions they find the most valuable. “A person is a fluid process, not a fixed and static entity; a flowing river of change, not a block of solid material; a continually changing constellation of potentialities, not a fixed quantity of traits.”
― Carl R. Rogers, On Becoming a Person: A Therapists Perspective of Psychotherapy
In my podcast “Couch to Couch: Making Therapy Make sense with Chuck LeBlanc” you will always hear me say the same thing about psychotherapy repeatedly. It is a safe space where two individuals come together like good friends having a cup of coffee as they work together to navigate difficult problems. It is not a place where the therapists tell you what to do and how to fix a problem specifically because we are not experts in your life but we can help you navigate it by giving you the respect you deserve as a complex person trying to live their life the best way they know how.
Chuck LeBlanc
For more information or how to book your first appointment.
Call 613-701-7574 or email us at info@ksrc.ca
