What is the difference between a good therapist and the best?
Results.
I know very good therapists who spend years with a client. They get rave reviews and the client is so happy with "her therapist.
According to that client, that therapist is absolutely the best therapist out there. He is understanding, empathetic and is there for her when she needs him.
Nice... Very nice, but if you worked on the basis of results and also got paid only according to that, the poor man would be bankrupt now.
Empathetic and understanding are definitely strengths. If you possess those strengths, be sure to use them 100%.
But to get results and not to make the client dependent on you. I used to be on enough forums where then clients were all in tears because their therapist went on vacation.
'What am I going to do! She goes on vacation just like that, and we had just clicked after a year...'
If you don't believe me just scour the forums and you'll still see those posts. Those therapists will really be good, but certainly not the best.
And there's one reason they'll never be the best. They can't help that either. What that is?