Michael B. Sussman > Quotes

“But how can psychotherapists purport to dispel the illusions of their clients while protecting and maintaining their own? Furthermore, a therapist's belief in and commitment to the therapeutic process ought not to be based on naive idealism, but rather on realistic appraisal.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy

“Those who choose to enter the profession typically manifest significant psychopathology of their own, which, if sufficiently understood and mastered, may actually enhance their ability to understand and help their clients. From this perspective, personal suffering is a prerequisite for the development of the empathy and compassion that characterize competent therapists.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy

“Via the role of therapist, individuals with a diffuse self-concept can, in a sense, be "all things to all people." Coming into contact with a wide range of personalities, they may vary how they relate to others according to the needs of the situation. Depending upon the type of the phase of treatment, the clinician may function as teacher, healer, advisor, confidant, psychic masseur, devil's advocate, audience, or teddy bear.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy

“Jung goes on to suggest that by coming to this realization, the therapist approaches the patient as someone who holds personal meaning to him, thereby creating the optimal conditions for treatment.”
― Michael Sussman, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy