Monday, October 10, 2011

Coping skills?

A really wonderful and talented RRT friend of mine (Dr. John Smith) recently posted a video about anxiety.  This video was posted on Facebook and thus there was room for comments.  One of the comments was related to why RRT therapists don't talk about teaching their clients how to cope with their anxiety and panic attacks.  The commenter stated all RRT therapists talk about what anxiety is and how it effects people but that we never speak of using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to teach our clients how to cope.  When that is the case, some people may choose to earn an online psychology degree to help them to sort through their feelings.
Many times when I have new clients call to discuss what RRT is and what issues they are seeking to have taken care I regularly am asked about what type of coping skills I will be teaching them.  Even during a session clients note how they will eventually need to learn to cope with things like anxiety, anger, grief, and guilt.
Let me be frank and honest here.  I don't teach coping skills.  I don't have to teach coping skills.  If I clear someone of anxiety and thus it no longer bothers them; they can't get anxious if they tried to (maybe if a bear was chasing them there'd be some anxiety.) So why do I need to teach someone how to cope with something that doesn't bother them?  It's like trying to teach someone to use a computer who doesn't have one and refuses to buy one.  What's the point?
This is one of those things that makes RRT therapists radically different than other therapists.  We clear people of their emotional blocks so that there are no blocks to get in the way.  Clients of RRT are able to manage their life with freedom and ease versus just coping with life. 
Maybe this will make better sense- It's an RRT therapist's job to get their client emotionally healthy, not to teach them how to fix those emotional blocks.  It's your mechanic's job to fix your car not to teach you how to fix your own car!
Be well, Be happy-
Tara S. Dickherber, LPC
Certified Rapid Resolution Therapy® therapist
Executive Director of the Institute for Survivors of Sexual Violence™ Digg!

1 comment:

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