ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how therapists make sense of the world through categorisation, economy in conversation and the demands of the social task of psychotherapy. Categorisation is of primary importance for all human activities. George Lakoff describes what categories reveal about the mind. He works in the field of cognitive science: "a new field that brings together what is known about the mind from many academic disciplines: psychology, linguistics, anthropology, philosophy, and computer science. A fundamental purpose for effective psychotherapy is to help clients to get a balance between maintaining a sense of security and being willing to take risks. The main reason for the popularity of psychotherapy is that many people are not independent enough and need some help in understanding why this should be so and what they can do to alter the situation. Psychotherapy, like all professional services, is time limited. The standard duration of a one-to-one consultation is fifty minutes.
