Dr Ng kicked off the session emphasizing the contextual reasons for clients to seek help. They range from conflicting values, poor financial management, seemingly irreconcilable relationships, etc. The first session with client calls for increased energy on the part of the counselor to engage and connect with the client. There is even a necessity at some point to take a 1-down position when addressing the client.
With all the information provided by the client, it is advisable to deal with them in segments or progressively. Therapist and client collaboratively find meaning and operationally defined relationships. Dr Ng’s dealings with alcoholics are progressive abstinence on the part of client and he ‘prescribes’ sex addicts with down-graded control for sex, e.g. instead of going to the brothel to stay home and watch a pornography on the puter. Patrick Cairns’s ‘Out of the Shadow’ will provide an understanding of what sex addiction is about and ‘Did you call it Love?’ details the treatment for such addiction.
The verbal and non-verbal behaviours of the clients will be observed reflectively (from therapist’s own experiential perspective). Open-ended questions are posed and summarization of content shared is given from time to time. Feelings expressed by client during the process is supported by statement, such as, ‘Certainly you are going through a difficult period.’
The emotional intercourse, or sharing, commonly referred to by therapist as intimacy between the client and therapist reveals the inner processes of the former. It is the job of the therapist to develop an interventive mindset.
Instead of advising, the therapist redirects. The focus is on the client’s context and using client’s language to fix the problem. In Solution-focused there is a huge distancing between therapist and client. The other extreme is observed in psychodynamic psychotherapy where therapist and client can be affected by transference. The trick is to compartmentalize the professional and personal life.
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