Travel Tips (taken from Hall, 2004, p. 8)

"Travel Tips

The rules of the road are not meant to constrain, but to keep the travelers safe.

Benevolent curiosity is the compass.

The therapist's walking shoes are consistency and reliability.

Setting appropriate boundaries are her gifts.

Her walking stick is patience.

Trust is her destination.

Countertransference is her radar.

Neutrality is her life vest.

Humor saves the day."

Other thoughts from this nice discussion of psychodynamic psychotherapy:

"The most important thing a therapist can do is to be reliable. Being there, being on time, and being calm add up to consistency. Many beginning therapists whom I have supervised are surprised at how important consistency is to patients. They worry about what to do to their patients, not realizing that their attention and benign curiosity are their most valuable techniques." (Hall, 2004, p. 138)

"The clinical phrase planned termination is an unfortunate one for the kind of intimate work that it implies; perhaps agreement to finish work together is more realistic. But there comes a time when patient and therapist say goodbye to each other." (Hall, 2004, p. 244) 333