As a therapist, I do not think of people as “bad” or “good” people. I think of them as complicated individuals, with complex histories, that have contributed to making them the people that they are.
There may be clients who have different values than I, or do things that I don’t generally approve of, but those are not thoughts that enter into the treatment, as they are irrelevant. I’m there to help them better understand their own minds, reduce symptoms that plague them, and help them reach their goals.
I’ve worked with quite a number of people, and with very few exceptions, I’ve founds ways to empathize with them all. Some of them did things that I knew were unkind to those close to them, and I did what I can to work with them, so that might better understand their behavior, and hopefully do things better, but never to impose my own values or agenda on them.
My fundamental belief is that when people get the love and support that they need from an early age, they tend to do the same with others. People that hurt others, are generally people who’ve been hurt themselves. This is not an excuse for their behavior, but it is important to understand it, because if they can find a way to feel better about themselves, this tends to lead to better treatment to everyone around them.
To find out more about my services click here: Therapy for Feelings of Inadequacy