“A patient should be able to go down a dark alley without being afraid to meet himself” —Warren Poland

The 𝐿𝑎𝑦 𝐻𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑃ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 is considered to be the earliest stage of clinician development. The lay helper typically identifies the problem quickly, provides strong emotional support, and gives advice based on one’s own experience.

Sometimes when I’m driving, I see the assemblage of letters on a license plate and I think to myself, “That’s an acronym therapy that hasn’t been invented yet.”

This is brilliant.

Explains a lot of the unbridled hate in the microcosm of society now called x.

“My therapist told me I should…” = red flag

Transference begins before a person even meets with a prospective therapist

When therapists lack adequate training, they try to be “helpful” in the ways a friend, family member, teacher, or mentor might be helpful. They offer advice, encouragement, and support. But these are not professional skills. People come to psychotherapy because commonsense ways

The problem you see on the surface is rarely the problem therapy needs to address 👇

Robin Atkins Everyone is of two minds going to therapy. Part of us wants to recreate the familiar relationship patterns & templates, however painful they’ve been. Part of us hopes (and fears) there could be something else and something different. Good psychotherapy takes account of both parts

“Psychotherapy cannot erase painful memories. What psychotherapy can do is develop a person's ability to become aware of their intrusion, withstand their damaging influence, and accumulate new positive memories that offset their impact.” —Mary Jo Peebles

Yup

"If the person on the receiving end of [a] projection responds to the intense provocation with anger or dares to fight back in any way, this is now seen as further proof of how hateful and evil they are--and why attacking them is just and right. This is what is called 'projective

To emerge from training brimming with self-confidence, sure that one has the answers for oneself and for one’s patients, is to give a strong impression that one does not even know the questions yet. - Nina Coltart

Imagine if we dropped the fiction that the alphabet soup of therapy acronyms is useful information, or a basis for making decisions about MH treatment What if we took to heart that every therapy relationship is unique & cannot be reproduced or replicated? What if we took to