Letting Go of the Work

Letting go of the work is one of the most important skills a therapist can have.  There is a valuable saying that one should not take credit for the client’s success, nor should one take responsibility for the client’s failures.  Ultimately the healing process is the client’s and the client’s alone, we can only shed light, provide direction and encouragement, and cheer lead.  Following the suggestion given by Dr. Irvin Yalom to young therapists in his book The Gift of Therapy, to seek out a seasoned therapist with admirable qualities and engage in a personal course of therapy with that person, I was privileged to have experienced being the patient of Dr. Sidney Rosen of New York City for several sessions.  During one session, Dr. Rosen said to me, “I don’t need to know what you’re experiencing right now.  If you think my knowing will help you, you can share, but I’m not intrusive.  As long as you know what you need to know that’s all that matters.”   Dr. Rosen knew how to let go and let the patient do the work, a valuable skill to emulate.

In the following video, Dr. Yalom discusses the power letting go of psychotherapeutic technique in favor of a more real human encounter.