ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author helps the people to decide two things: whether or not they have a problem and whether or not the people need help with this problem. It is important to differentiate between having a practical problem and having an emotional problem. The author discusses two situations: where the people have a practical problem and where they have an emotional problem. One of the insights that comes from the field of single-session therapy is that it is often important for the people to draw upon their successful experiences in dealing with the very problem on which the people are focused. One of the useful features of single-session therapy is that it encourages clients to identify their strengths as a person and then to apply these to address their problems, where appropriate. The author outlines the factors involved in shame before arguing that ‘disappointment’ is the healthy alternative to shame.
