Expectations are one of the common factors of clinical work, especially therapy. What do our skills around expectation management look like?
One tool I’ve found to be so helpful over and over is self-compassion; showing up for myself with kindness.
How do we know if we’re on the right track with our clients?
How do we know if our clients feel safe with us?
How do we know if our client is dissatisfied with services?
What I want to know is: what do you tell yourself in order to foster unconditional positive regard towards your clients? Here are a few things I tell myself:
Therapeutic alliance accounts for 7.5% of the variability in outcomes, coming in third after goal consensus and empathy. However, I’d argue that goal consensus and empathy are part of the therapeutic relationship. So if you remember anything, remember that what matters most is the relationship.