ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors discuss how a therapist’s response to the question—“So why did you become a therapist?”—should take into consideration multiple aspects of the therapeutic situation, including the context in which it was asked, the nature of the therapy, the client’s diagnosis, the client’s understanding of the nature and process of psychotherapy, and the tone in which the question was asked. The authors provide suggestions for responses that get at the heart of what elicited this question from the client, in an approach that seeks to honor the Rogerian principles of therapeutic genuineness (i.e., basic honesty), empathy (i.e., sensitivity to the client’s current state and motives for asking), and positive regard for the client. It is further noted that the press for therapeutic honesty in response to an appropriate question (especially when posed by a new client) must be balanced by an awareness, particularly on the part of beginning therapists, of the potential to provide too much information and allow for eventual boundary problems. The authors argue that a thoughtful response to this question in fact provides opportunities for therapeutic growth and the development of increased understanding of and connection to the client.
