ABSTRACT
A defining moment in my early clinical training was hearing master therapist Virginia Satir address a troubled couple in an entirely unorthodox way. “I don’t have an answer for you,” she stated, “but I want you to know that you have a very powerful problem” (Satir, personal communication, September, 1974). I no longer remember what the clients’ problem was, but Satir’s response has become a guiding principle for me. It signifies that clients’ stories are a key to their personal and collective mysteries and that effective therapy often involves more than diagnosing and treating symptoms; it involves collaboration with clients, curiosity in the complexities of clients’ lives, and trust that clients are capable of the awareness they need to move themselves forward. I often cite Satir to illustrate that no therapist has all the answers, and that the most empowering action we can perform may be to support clients in finding positions of responsibility for their own growth.
