The Work of Clinical Psychology

This is my world.

By Dr T J Jordan

Most humans get to know deeply only a few others during their lifetimes. That usually is called intimacy. But other forms of intimacy exist in addition to what we encounter in our personal romantic relationships.

Clinical psychologists get to know many people very deeply. We often get to know our clients more deeply than they are known by anyone else in their lives. We are generously given the gift of trust which can be as great a complement as being loved.

We are privileged to venture by invitation into hidden caves as well onto exalted summits. We get to see the passions of the mind and the fires of emotion broadly as well as deeply because we participate in many lives over the course of our careers.

This is a special kind of intimacy born in the safe spaces we try to provide. In these safe spaces, we invite the people who seek us to move forward boldly in creating the very happiest versions of themselves.

Those who are not in mental health fields often expect that psychologists give advice to their clients. But this expectation is mostly incorrect. What we do is more like accompanying others on their journeys of self discovery.

If we are good at what we do, we encourage our clients to lead the way while we hold a lantern to shine light into their dark corners. That light often takes the form of the interpretations we offer. We let our clients guide, but we're there to pick up the slack when they stumble. Sometimes we rise to provide a shelter from the storm.

We practice a kind of teaching, but teaching in discovery mode. We are less likely to provide answers than to provide strategies for each individual to discover the answers that suit them. The homework we assign involves practicing new habits of thought and action.

What we see in our work is beautiful and intricate as well as dark and stormy. If we have sufficient emotional courage and are skillfully non-judgmental, we can be privy to the full range of human fantasies, dreams, and reflections. If we are adequately enlightened, we can appreciate every person’s life as a unique adventure to comprehend and to treasure.

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