ABSTRACT
Since the relationship skills of the therapist is a major determining factor for the treatment outcome, this chapter examines several aspects of his skills in shame-informed counselling and psychotherapy. One necessary skill is being able to recognize the shame that is present in the counselling room through both verbal and non-verbal indicators. Another important skill is the handling of client resistance. Some clients will typically cover up with evasiveness, humour or politeness to avoid surfacing their shame from its hiddenness. Also, therapists will inevitably face clients who either talk continuously or at the other extreme, maintain a deafening silence. In addition, client resistance occasionally come in the form of doubt over the effectiveness of imagery as a therapeutic approach. Or there may be a tendency to resist going further with the therapy to avoid experiencing more pain. A further issue concerns the therapist’s micro skills in handling online therapy. The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 brought telehealth to the fore due to social distancing requirements and movement restrictions. The more frequent use of online therapy can in fact augur well for shame-informed counselling and psychotherapy. Lastly, some aspects of the termination of therapy are discussed.
