Foreword

It is a privilege to be asked to write a Foreword to this book. It is a wonderful achievement and true gift to those who will learn and become part of these professions. The book offers knowledge, insights and skills to the practice of therapy. But perhaps more profoundly it offers a deepening understanding of the often imperceptible, but fundamental aspect of therapy. This aspect is what makes therapy actually work to meet the needs of clients. This is the process of how it occurs.

As discussed in this book, literature clearly tells us that offering truly meaningful care to people struggling with life challenges may be less about what we do, and more about who does it and how they do it. Meaningful care may be more about what we bring to the encounter as people and how we skilfully, respectfully and kindly we offer our care.

Not for a minute does this suggest that we reduce our endeavours to develop our skill, our knowledge and test our work and assumptions. To strive to build the science of what we do is fundamental, and in itself, a gift we offer to people in need.
At times we call it ‘imposter syndrome’. But there is a great difference between feeling an ‘imposter’ from a sense of inadequacy within ourselves; and feeling less than adequate in the face of the awe we develop in realizing that as we learn more, we know how much we can still learn. That sense of being an imposter rather drives us forward with humility and anticipation to learn more, to challenge ourselves and to grow ourselves and our professions.

But science with its research, its evidence and its interventions will never alone be enough to reach people in truly meaningful ways. To do this we need to put our science within the deeply amazing, yet often confusing, and less confined world of people who meet at a moment in time. We may name them ‘client’ and ‘therapist’; but in that moment they are two humans meeting at this point in time on their own journeys in life. Together they interact and together they work toward change. One brings a science, skills and a willingness to know and assist. The other brings a challenge, some pain, some strengths and a deep and unique experience of themselves. And it is here they meet and true therapy begins.

This book and the knowledge it brings and the art it will encourage in you is about making that interaction in that moment truly matter. As you combine your clear science with the more intuitive art of what you do, you change the language and change the moment. Therapy becomes a living breathing dynamic process occurring between two people, both flawed and both strong in their own ways at this time of meeting.

A therapeutic alliance becomes a ‘knowing’ and a shared vision and knowledge. History taking or intake interviews become accepting humbly an invitation into the experience and the story of another. Interventions become shared means of moving toward a greater sense of wholeness and safety for a person facing upheaval. A technique becomes a step both can see is able to be taken toward an end that both share as of value. A client becomes a person who in this moment struggles but holds a potential for renewal. A therapist becomes a knowledgeable encourager of change. A session becomes a collection of moments of potential movement and wonder and relief and challenge. A goal becomes the understanding of a personal need.

In reading this book you will make the process of therapy come alive and be as it was always meant to be. I commend those who have written it and I commend each of you for reading it and wanting to be part of these professions.

I wish for you every sense of fulfilment in the years you will spend caring for others in their time of need.

Judith Murray