ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the power dynamics that are typically a part of therapy. The chapter explains that No Bullshit Therapy (NBT) cannot and does not strive to minimise power differentials between worker and client, instead, it strives to make power and responsibility explicit, transparent, and specifically linked to the task at hand. It points out that clients with trauma backgrounds, or with past experiences of service systems abuse, are at particular risk of feeling a lack of control. If issues of power and control are not addressed thoughtfully, directly, and transparently, we are at risk of re-traumatising these clients. A detailed verbatim transcript of another section of the first session with Sarah, the 35-year-old therapy-hater who has been pressured to attend counselling by doctors at a psychiatric hospital, is used to demonstrate how NBT makes overt the power, role, and responsibilities of therapist and client.
The complexities and difficulties of working cross-culturally are explored, and the need for applying NBT ideas with cultural sensitivities is acknowledged. Discussion and examples of NBT work with Australia’s First Nations People and rural communities concludes the chapter.
