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VIDEO: David Burns on Overcoming Resistance
Exploring Why Clients Might Not Want to Change
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If you could press a magic button and relieve yourself of your biggest problem, would you choose to do so? More often than not, says psychiatrist David Burns, author of Feeling Good, there are many reasons why we might choose to hold onto our problems.
"On the one hand, our clients want to change," Burns says. But rarely, he adds, do therapists examine how and why clients might stay attached to their depression, anxiety, or grudges. "We need to look at all of this before we jump in with all our wonderful therapy tools," he says.
In the video, Burns explains why we need to reevaluate our current approaches to treating resistance, and shares the "magic button" exercise you can try with your clients today. Start talking about resistance sooner, Burns says, and you can put your clients on the road to healing faster.