As therapists, how often do we specifically tune in and assess our patients’ will to do therapy?

They showed up for their appointment and are talking about things in their life. It sure seems like they want to work on a problem.  Most of us have been trained to forge ahead at this point to work on the items the patient has brought up or just what seems obvious to us. Do you know how to discern if a patient truly wants to do the therapy work with you, or if they are avoiding their own (painful) inner needs and desires by going along with what they think you, the therapist, wants?

We have been trained to assume the patient is willing if they are there, but if we do assume this, rather than ask, we can unintentionally step into an ethical dilemma: we are working on a problem without explicit consent or a clear agreement on the therapeutic tasks. This could have us unintentionally reenact and therefore reinforce the very type of avoidant relationship that caused the problem they came into therapy for help with. Living a life of avoidance of one’s inner life leads to depression, low self-worth, feeling out of control, hopeless, helpless, etc. In assuming will, the therapist risks making the patient worse by strengthening the avoidance behaviors that cause symptoms and problems.

Join this training to learn how to assess a patient’s will, address defenses that cause resistance to knowing and declaring their will, and gain interventions to mobilize their will as the engine for treatment. This way of relating to your patients helps you more deeply understand their problems and how to treat them, and it supports ethical mental health treatment that is productive and enjoyable for both you and them.