When Clients Talk about "Small Things"

Edge of the Couch

Major major MAJOR caveat: what clients bring to sessions is important regardless of the ‘size’ of it. We used the terminology “small things” as it felt that it explained the situation in the most precise way but we know that nothing is ever really “small” when we consider context, our clients’ lives, and the power of little things in our day-to-day existence.
With that clarified, this week’s episode is about what comes up for us as therapists when clients explore minor/small/seemingly insignificant (ugh, it’s hard to find the most accurate language to use) stories or challenges. As therapists, we may become frustrated that we aren’t getting to the BIG stuff or we may have a hard time understanding how small things seem to feel really huge for clients.
We know that many clients worry that their situations aren’t worthy of therapy - not traumatic enough to meet an invisible threshold. We must know how to talk to clients about the validity of their experiences, that they are all valid for exploration and support. And we need to know how to manage ourselves and the sessions when clients seem to stay in the shallow end of the pool.
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Alison McCleary
www.alpenglowcounselling.com
@alpenglow_counselling on Instagram
Jordan Pickell
www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca
@jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram
Edge of the Couch
www.edgeofthecouch.com
@edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram