I don’t think I’m the only one, at least I hope not, who feels an immense pressure to produce a “win” with every client. I feel like I owe clients a positive outcome and if I’m not able to produce, then I’ve let the client down. This pressure leads me to put the blame, if that’s the right word to use, on myself. If the client is struggling in any way; if they aren’t seeing results; if they aren’t motivated; if they aren’t putting in the effort to complete their homework or follow the steps in their treatment plan, I am the one who failed, according to that lingering, irrational neural circuit. All that changed after one fateful conversation with a colleague.
I remember unburdening my woes on a colleague regarding a couple I was working with. I told her that every week the couple would spend their time complaining about each other. We would discuss their relational problems ad nauseam, inevitably arriving at the same place when they would proclaim some version of “If only we could just do X, then everything would be better.” They would get so excited, and I could hear their thoughts as if broadcasted; this idea was their silver bullet. The excitement was palpable as they left the office with an action plan, only to return the next week to tell me they hadn’t done anything we’d discussed. This pattern repeated week after week. I found this baffling. But, as I told you, the reason had to be that somehow I dropped the ball. So each session I’d go into overdrive and dissect what didn’t work and strain every last neuron in that circuit to come up with yet another dazzling idea, which, as you guessed also wouldn’t work.
I finally finished telling my colleague about the couple and downloading all my feelings when she looked at me and said in a matter-of-fact tone, “You’re way more patient than me. I would have fired them long ago.” “Huh?” I replied. Fire my client?! I had never done this or even considered this as a possibility. As I asked her more questions, she explained that when you have a client like this, the problem may not be you, or even them. Maybe the timing isn’t right. Maybe they aren’t in a place to make change. Maybe it’s easier to dream about change than actually doing it. Maybe the fit isn’t right and they would be better served by another clinician. Or maybe I needed to draw a line somewhere, and tell them that I could no longer work with them if they were not willing to follow through.
My colleague was making this pretty clear, but I honestly needed her to spell it out for me. She told me to make continuation of the therapeutic relationship contingent upon their completing their homework. If they said they would commit to a date night once per week, then I needed to raise the stakes and make doing the date night actually matter. They clearly valued coming to therapy every week since they were willing to pay for something that wasn’t producing the results they allegedly desire. The fact of the matter is, she went on to explain, that there could be a hundred different reasons why they weren’t actually following through, but in the final analysis, I was not doing them any good by smoothing over their failure to complete the homework or follow through with other therapeutic suggestions.
Yeah, I had to sit back in silence and take a few minutes to digest this. My first thought was, “Well, isn’t this kinda mean? Or, at the very least, won’t my client think I’m being kinda mean?” My colleague disabused me of this idea rather quickly. Holding my client accountable does not have to be a mean thing to do, nor does it mean that I am being so. This can be done in a very professional and respectful manner, and even in a way that may at some later time lay the foundation for real therapeutic progress—you know, planting seeds! Besides, I would hold myself to no less of a standard. I would not let myself off the hook if I committed to something and then never followed through. So why the double standard? Why do I look the other way with clients, but not with myself? Further, my clients most likely hold themselves to this standard when outside the office. So, why the double standard? Why do they look the other way when it comes to their relationship?
This question was very challenging, but incredibly helpful. I went back to my couple, nervous but motivated to put these new ideas into practice. I let them know, respectfully, that I noticed a pattern of them not following through on homework. And that if they wanted to continue working with me, we needed to agree that doing so was dependent upon their completing homework. My heart was in my throat when I said this, but to my surprise, they had little to no pushback. Despite their agreeing to the terms, the next week they had not completed their homework. As I said I would, we decided to wrap up therapy.
Fast forward a few weeks.They called me asking if they could come back, but they said this time would be different. They would not only agree to the homework-related conditions for termination, but they committed to actually doing their homework. Suffice it to say, they did, and the change they so badly wanted started materializing.
***
In reflection, I learned a lot from this couple and from my colleague’s insight. This lesson has stayed with me and affected my work with virtually every client since. I no longer place immediate blame on myself for clinical failure (although I do reflect often on how I can do better). Rather, I am more broadminded when things aren’t working. I’m more open to the option of terminating the therapeutic relationship, and, in fact, I see it as a potentially important step in the healing journey of some clients. I share with my clients that termination can be an act of empowerment. If the client feels like they aren’t getting what they need from a therapist, they should not feel beholden to stay for the therapist’s benefit. Instead, I encourage clients to broach the topic of termination, to explore other options, and to find what works for them, as I am now in the habit of doing.
File under: The Art of Psychotherapy, Couples Therapy, Musings and Reflections
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I remember unburdening my woes on a colleague regarding a couple I was working with. I told her that every week the couple would spend their time complaining about each other. We would discuss their relational problems ad nauseam, inevitably arriving at the same place when they would proclaim some version of “If only we could just do X, then everything would be better.” They would get so excited, and I could hear their thoughts as if broadcasted; this idea was their silver bullet. The excitement was palpable as they left the office with an action plan, only to return the next week to tell me they hadn’t done anything we’d discussed. This pattern repeated week after week. I found this baffling. But, as I told you, the reason had to be that somehow I dropped the ball. So each session I’d go into overdrive and dissect what didn’t work and strain every last neuron in that circuit to come up with yet another dazzling idea, which, as you guessed also wouldn’t work.
I finally finished telling my colleague about the couple and downloading all my feelings when she looked at me and said in a matter-of-fact tone, “You’re way more patient than me. I would have fired them long ago.” “Huh?” I replied. Fire my client?! I had never done this or even considered this as a possibility. As I asked her more questions, she explained that when you have a client like this, the problem may not be you, or even them. Maybe the timing isn’t right. Maybe they aren’t in a place to make change. Maybe it’s easier to dream about change than actually doing it. Maybe the fit isn’t right and they would be better served by another clinician. Or maybe I needed to draw a line somewhere, and tell them that I could no longer work with them if they were not willing to follow through.
My colleague was making this pretty clear, but I honestly needed her to spell it out for me. She told me to make continuation of the therapeutic relationship contingent upon their completing their homework. If they said they would commit to a date night once per week, then I needed to raise the stakes and make doing the date night actually matter. They clearly valued coming to therapy every week since they were willing to pay for something that wasn’t producing the results they allegedly desire. The fact of the matter is, she went on to explain, that there could be a hundred different reasons why they weren’t actually following through, but in the final analysis, I was not doing them any good by smoothing over their failure to complete the homework or follow through with other therapeutic suggestions.
Yeah, I had to sit back in silence and take a few minutes to digest this. My first thought was, “Well, isn’t this kinda mean? Or, at the very least, won’t my client think I’m being kinda mean?” My colleague disabused me of this idea rather quickly. Holding my client accountable does not have to be a mean thing to do, nor does it mean that I am being so. This can be done in a very professional and respectful manner, and even in a way that may at some later time lay the foundation for real therapeutic progress—you know, planting seeds! Besides, I would hold myself to no less of a standard. I would not let myself off the hook if I committed to something and then never followed through. So why the double standard? Why do I look the other way with clients, but not with myself? Further, my clients most likely hold themselves to this standard when outside the office. So, why the double standard? Why do they look the other way when it comes to their relationship?
This question was very challenging, but incredibly helpful. I went back to my couple, nervous but motivated to put these new ideas into practice. I let them know, respectfully, that I noticed a pattern of them not following through on homework. And that if they wanted to continue working with me, we needed to agree that doing so was dependent upon their completing homework. My heart was in my throat when I said this, but to my surprise, they had little to no pushback. Despite their agreeing to the terms, the next week they had not completed their homework. As I said I would, we decided to wrap up therapy.
Fast forward a few weeks.They called me asking if they could come back, but they said this time would be different. They would not only agree to the homework-related conditions for termination, but they committed to actually doing their homework. Suffice it to say, they did, and the change they so badly wanted started materializing.
***
In reflection, I learned a lot from this couple and from my colleague’s insight. This lesson has stayed with me and affected my work with virtually every client since. I no longer place immediate blame on myself for clinical failure (although I do reflect often on how I can do better). Rather, I am more broadminded when things aren’t working. I’m more open to the option of terminating the therapeutic relationship, and, in fact, I see it as a potentially important step in the healing journey of some clients. I share with my clients that termination can be an act of empowerment. If the client feels like they aren’t getting what they need from a therapist, they should not feel beholden to stay for the therapist’s benefit. Instead, I encourage clients to broach the topic of termination, to explore other options, and to find what works for them, as I am now in the habit of doing.
File under: The Art of Psychotherapy, Couples Therapy, Musings and Reflections