The Making of a Therapist Quotes

“Therapists are never “done” with growth, they are simply people who should be dedicated to learning as much about themselves and others as they possibly can. The best therapists are fully human and engage in the struggles of life. Our own failures help us to remain open to the struggles of others; our personal victories give us the optimism and courage to inspire those struggling with their lives.”
― Louis Cozolino, The Making of a Therapist

“The things most people need to learn in therapy are related to attachment, abandonment, love, and fear. We are trying to access basic emotional processes that are organized in primitive and early-developing parts of the brain. The language of these emotions is also very basic; it is the language of childhood. The more complex the language and ideas you bring into therapy, the more likely you are to stimulate your clients’ intellectualizing defenses.”
― Louis Cozolino, The Making of a Therapist

“Most therapists grew up struggling to be loved and accepted by others. Because of these early experiences, many of us find it difficult to believe others can be of help to us. We carry this struggle into our adult lives and, inevitably, into our relationships with our clients.”
― Louis Cozolino, The Making of a Therapist

“Be mindful of your own inner pressure to fill in silences and come up with rapid solutions. Experiment with patience. I’ve found that if I am patient, clients will often arrive at the very same conclusions I wanted to give them minutes before.”
― Louis Cozolino, The Making of a Therapist: A Practical Guide for the Inner Journey

“At its most basic level, psychotherapy is an interpersonal learning environment similar in many ways to proper parenting. In both, we tend to learn best when supported by a nurturing relationship with an empathic other, while being encouraged to confront life’s challenges”
― Louis Cozolino, The Making of a Therapist: A Practical Guide for the Inner Journey

“Clients with painful experiences and frightening symptoms are accustomed to living in a world where others avoid and reject them. Our ability to remain empathically connected to them through the expression of their suffering sets the stage for therapy to be a qualitatively different relationship experience–one where they are accepted, pain and all.”
― Louis Cozolino, The Making of a Therapist: A Practical Guide for the Inner Journey