December is here and we are looking at expectations. Expectations go a long way in our work with our clients, and are constantly there, whether recognized or not. We bump up against them with many of our other factors, including eliciting feedback, goal consensus and of course, therapeutic alliance.

This month, please check out this podcast episode with Krista Tippett and Erik Vance, episode entitled, “The Drugs Inside Your Head”. It is all about the placebo effect, and it is fascinating. Take what you know about the placebo effect and multiply it by a million. That is this episode. And once you start to understand the power of expectations, you’ll see why understanding your client’s expectations is crucial to the work you do.

A few things to reflect upon:

• What are my typical client’s expectations for our work together?

• Do my clients believe my explanation of their problem, and what I state will be the solution to their problem? How do I explore this?

• What are the expectations I create for my clients? Examples include: we’ll meet weekly, they will do homework, I will do certain tasks on their behalf, I’ll attend to their emotions in session, by doing therapy with me they will change their thoughts then they’ll feel better, by engaging in treatment with me they will recover from their addiction, that by working together they will eventually feel less overall stress, etc.

Look forward to seeing you all!