When I began my counselling career, I had limited skills and techniques in my arsenal. Talk therapy was helpful at times (at least it seemed to be) and other times I felt talk therapy did not have much effect. I was only using a screwdriver when I needed to find more tools. I believe one way I pulled through being ‘generic’ as a therapist was understanding the importance of the therapeutic relationship. Wow, is this important! The therapeutic relationship is the bond or rap

I have heard acronyms for the word ‘hope’ such as “Hold On, Please endure" and "Hold On, Pain Ends." I believe those capture the essence of the word and many people's experience. I’ve learned through counselling that there is massive power in hope. When hope then mixes with optimism a resonating power emerges. A structured approach for achieving goals comes when hope and optimism fuse together. With hope and optimism there is less permanence with a challenging situation. I h

Detachment plays a critical role in counselling. I cannot become fully involved with someone I’m working with at the expense of myself. At the same time, I need to join with someone empathically in their healing process. Yet I cannot fully pull away and be a callous Mr. Roboto. Far too many have experienced this with people in their lives. The goal is to find a balance between myself and someone else. To understand this balance took me time, practice, and experience. This