When Solutions Become Problems
One thing I have learned after three years of seeing clients is that the “presenting problem,” which is what clients say is the cause of their suffering, is usually not the problem that needs to be worked on. The presenting problem is often a psychological defense against the therapeutically-important stuff -- a defense that, when it was created, was actually a solution. Psychological defenses are the ideas, behaviors, and relationship dynamics we adopt in order to avoid psyc