I Am Not Your Therapist

Note: the “you” and “your” in this post mostly refers to the organisation a.k.a. workplace, working community, within which individuals play their parts.

I am not your therapist until you ask me. 

Until you request my involvement, our relationship is one of acquaintance, rather than one of connection and working together on your issues.

I am not your therapist until I agree to take on the role.

Our connection, should we both choose to form one, must of necessity be a mutual one.

I am not your therapist until you choose to play an active role.

Whilst you may feel uncertain, passive, even catatonic at the outset, absent your willingness to help yourself, we will not make progress.

I am not your therapist when you feel you don’t need me. 

There will be times when, for a multitude of reasons, our connection and its potential fruits have little attraction for you. At those times I can be patient, until you review your choice, and choose to feel I have something to offer.

I am not your therapist.

As an organisational therapist, I don’t work with individuals. Not you. Not any one. If you have personal issues, I might be able to refer you to someone who may be able to help. You might say that as an organisational psychotherapist I work in the spaces between people. Like gardeners work on the soil between plants.

I am not your therapist.

There’s nothing “wrong” with you, so you don’t need a doctor. Maybe you could use a friend. Maybe we could become friends. That might help us both.

I am not your therapist, you are.

There’s nothing I’m going to “do” to you. Any changes you wish to see ultimately come from yourself. Everything done to you will come from you.

– Bob

Further Reading

The Organisation’s Therapy Experience ~ FlowchainSensei
The Organisational Therapist’s Experience~ FlowchainSensei
Individual vs Organisational Psychotherapy ~ FlowchainSensei