Welcome to the Art of Therapy. I'm Dr Warwick Phipps.

Together with colleague clinical psychologist Marizaan Koen ,

join us as we explore not just what therapy is, but how to do it more

effectively, helping you deepen your therapeutic

skills and elevate your practice one conversation at a time.

It's so lovely to be here and in our own studio as well.

Oh it is, it's really exciting. The first time we can really do

and film and hear right here where all where where our therapy happens. Where our therapy happens,

yes. Yeah, so I think you're looking really looking today is looking at just at what makes therapy

work and does therapy work and then looking at what what makes therapy work. So I think one of

the first parts to look at is how important is the therapeutic relationship in the therapy process?

What you're asking I think is really important about what is the key aspect in terms of the

therapy process and obviously a number of keys. But if we just go back, your first part is what

makes therapy work and does it work? So of course our centre's name is therapy works, in fact now

treatment works because of course we know treatment works. So how

treatment is approached is going to make the difference. How we approach therapy,

how we approach treatment and a core consideration here is the nature and

quality of the therapeutic relationship. Really about how people relate to each

other and that's where the importance of it is. You know very much because

how we relate, communicate, engage therapeutically, that is the

basis because all communication is in the relationship and it's how we

communicating, how we're relating and so that's the fundamental part, the

basis of a therapeutic or treatment relationship. There's many techniques as we know you're a very

senior therapist, psychologist, so there's any number of techniques one can utilise, integrate,

but that all rests on a really meaningful therapeutic relationship. That really is the

core of any therapy. Because when we trust, when we trust, when there's trust in that

relationship it makes a massive difference.

You know, without trust, how can we become vulnerable? And how can anyone who's needing

support really communicate and express what's happening? As we know, therapy is a very private,

something of a sacred space and trust is absolutely essential. It really is the

key. It is, yeah. If we look at trust what is some of the aspects that really

builds trust in a therapeutic relationship? Well you know it's

interesting that you immediately know trust because that really goes to a

fundamental characteristic and as we know it relates to Carl Rogers' work and the humanistic

approach and his work specifically in the person-centered approach and he identified

the three characteristics of any meaningful helping relationship and that isn't limited

to therapeutic he was saying any helping relationship needs to have three core qualities and when

that is present someone can become more of who they are, they can express their own abilities,

their own talents, their potential and in effect self-actualize which was the process

becoming more of who you are. So in order to do that, what he identified was that of the three

characteristics or conditions that need to be in the relationship, the first is congruence.

And it's beautiful that you identified and went immediately to how important trust is,

because what congruence has to do with is trust.

That congruence has to do with, as we know, but we just explore this,

that it's the how we communicate, what we communicate.

When our verbal and non-verbal communication fit or consistent

and our verbal and non-verbal are consistent to our relationship

and our relationship over time.

When that's the case, what is happening is our communication is consistent, it's congruent.

The effect then for a client or patient is the moment they can experience communication

is consistent and therefore congruent, it fits, communication becomes trustworthy.

And so trust our clients, our patients can trust what has been communicated and being

expressed.

It's really creating that safe space and almost knowing what to expect so that they

can really just be vulnerable.

Yeah.

You know, the moment someone can feel safe, they can, and they know that what has been

communicate is authentic, it's valid, it's trustworthy, in other words congruent, immediately

with the trust comes safety and so they feel safe, they feel secure and now they can really

begin to communicate and share their experience. That also comes, the therapy is also not, it's

not social, it really has different qualities, not always what people want to hear,

but it is, it's not social, these people can really be congruent and genuine in their communication.

Yes, you again, you're a senior psychologist therapist and I would, that we just know that,

just as you say, people don't always hear what they want to and they hope to hear, but they can

trust that what is being expressed, the feedback is really congruent, it's genuine and it always

is about their best interests. I noted earlier the three qualities, so the first quality

being congruence, the second quality then characteristic for any helping or therapeutic

relation is that there needs to be a deep understanding of another and that deep understanding

is something of stepping into their shoes or trying to understand something of their

experience which is empathy. And so empathy then is profoundly important in the therapeutic

relationship. The other, and these are things that I think could be valuable,

that we could explore as we go along in the series on what makes therapy

effective, what makes it work. But I just want to note the third aspect quality

is relating to not only understanding another, the empathy, but the lack of

judgment, the unconditional positive regard for another, so that whatever you

expressed to me, I'm doing my utmost best to accurately understand your experience,

to do so without any judgment. And in a way that what I am communicating, how I'm responding,

is really authentic and coherent. That's certainly, that obviously that's key. And again, being

able to communicate and share another's frame of reference without judgment.

This three that you just mentioned, they bring profound trust and support in any helping

relation.

Yes, yes.

Also, and that is also, I think, your experience because you work with a very wide range of

individuals, so it's children, adolescents, young adults and older and that it relates

to the nature and quality of your own therapy and also certainly that's something I can

attest to.

I go with that. I think it's something that we really as we are psychologists at this

the centre, that's one of our basic principles. And that you can really see clients flourish

in those principles, and being able to work through difficult situations.

That's essential. And I think that's also why it goes to our values, that part of our

values, in the way that we relate, both in the therapy room, to anyone being here, visiting

the centre in a way where it's a person centred with the focus being on that person and with

authenticity, congruence, a deep understanding or trying for the empathy and with our judgement.

This is really nice to be able to look at the basics of the nature and quality of a

therapeutic relationship and that looks at why therapy works and why treatment works.

So I'm really looking forward in getting more into it and looking further at some of these aspects as

well. Yeah I share that. Just being able to look at it together, an aspect of therapy that's so

often in treatments, often overlooked, as we just touch the surface here. And yes, looking forward

to what we're going to be covering in the series.

Yes.

And looking at this in greater depth.

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