Page 58 - ENGLISH SPEAKING E-MODULE

often the people with power don’t even realise that power is a factor! There are many ways

we might react to this power imbalance – it can be tricky to maintain our self-confidence;
we might try to ‘please’ the therapist and tell them what we think they want to hear, or

‘rebel’ and get angry with them, partly for their power; or we may become passive and
allow them to dictate what avenues are explored and what is ‘important’.

• “The point is to change it.” Many therapists see part of their role as helping us to re-think
our stories. Many of us find this incredibly powerful and transformative. But if the clinician

is not upfront about what they are doing, this can lead to us feeling unheard and manipulated.
Sometimes talking therapies involve finding ‘new, more positive scripts’ to tell our story

through. Others push us to focus on the ‘here and now’ and leave behind our (hi)stories,

focusing instead on changing our ‘wrong thinking’ and ‘dysfunctional behaviour’. These are
really helpful strategies for some people, and infuriating and pointless to others. In either

case, it’s best to know your options (when choice is possible).

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