Should Therapists Correct Clients?

The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy

Should Therapists Correct Clients?

Curt and Katie chat about whether therapists should correct clients who use offensive language. We look at what we should consider when addressing what clients say (including treatment goals and the relationship), how therapists can take care of themselves to be able to treat clients who hold a different worldview, and how (and when) therapists can address problematic language appropriately.

Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!

In this podcast episode we talk about whether therapists should call out their clients on words they find inappropriate

We decided to address the language that clients use in session and what to do when we find the language offensive or harmful.

Should therapists correct clients when they use language we find offensive or harmful?

• Blank slate or “join your clients” approaches
• Whether the language should be addressed when it doesn’t align with a client’s stated treatment goals
• Showing up as a human and addressing the therapeutic relationship
• Judgment or shaming that can happen with clients

What should therapists consider when addressing what clients say?

• The relationship between the therapist and client
• Relevance to clinical goals
• The impact on trust in the therapeutic alliance
• The importance of using the client’s language to affirm their experience
• The power differential between therapist and client

How can therapists show up with clients who see the world differently than they do?

• Addressing objectification of therapist’s identities
• Assessing when therapists are centering their own experience versus responding to what is in the room
• Using the relationship to process client’s perspective

What can therapists do to appropriately address problematic language with their clients?

• Process what is being said before correcting specific words
• Address within the relationship and within the treatment goals
• Using our own coping skills to be able to navigate what our clients bring to session
• Where social justice plays a role (and maybe shouldn’t)
• Education and supporting the client’s whole development
• Assessing the impact of these interventions (both positive and negative)
• Assessing the harm in not pointing out bias or harmful language

Resources for Modern Therapists mentioned in this Podcast Episode:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance!

Therapist–Client Language Matching: Initial Promise as a Measure of Therapist–Client Relationship Quality

Feedback Informed Treatment

Relevant Episodes of MTSG Podcast:

Do Therapists Curse in Session?

How to Fire Your Clients (Ethically)

How to Fire Your Clients (Ethically) part 1.5

When is it Discrimination?

Conspiracy Theories in Your Office