Introducing Therapeutic Assumptions

  Hi there!

Welcome back to the MoodiNews. Every Thursday, we discuss a variety of matters related to mental health and self-improvement.

I’m so glad you’re here.

This week, we are going to begin a discussion on: THERAPEUTIC ASSUMPTIONS! (YAY!)

In the therapeutic setting, it is considered harmful to make undue assumptions about other people and their situations. Because circumstances change and providers can be fallible, therapists are carefully trained to be as objective and unbiased as possible.

That being said, even therapists need to depend upon a few reliable assertions about the world that they can use to inform their work.

So, when therapists adopt pre-ordained assertions about other people and the world to inform their practice, we call these assertions therapeutic assumptions.

Therapeutic assumptions serve as a set of guiding values, or principles, that therapists use to stay grounded in truth and objective thinking. Operating under such assumptions incorporates structure, hope, and accountability into the therapeutic relationship. Furthermore, it takes ego and favoritism out of the mix by allowing for consistency and clarity in any therapeutic interaction, regardless of who or what is being discussed.

Over the next several weeks, I am going to discuss what I believe are the five most important therapeutic assumptions.

Understanding these assumptions can be useful for clients, clinicians, and individuals alike—anyone who wishes to expedite their personal development, build emotional resilience, and better understand the human condition.

Today, I will merely outline the five assumptions that we will be discussing. Next week, I will begin to expand on these assumptions in further detail.  

Whenever I am working with a client, I operate under the presumption that each of the following five statements is true.

Several, but not all, of the following therapeutic assumptions come from DBT:

1) Every person is 100% responsible for their own thoughts, actions, and emotions.

2) People are never the problem; emotions are never the problem; our bodies are never the problem.

3) There is no such thing as ‘common sense’—but everyone has a Wise Mind.

4) Psychopathology is never an inherent feature in a person.

5) Everyone is doing the best that they can—and they can do better.

These therapeutic assumptions lay the groundwork for simultaneously assuming the best in people while also refusing to fragilize them. (After all, a lot of therapy is about helping people believe that they are capable of more than they might think—and that they are probably more ‘normal’ than they realize.)

At their core, the aforementioned assumptions simply outline a reasonable call to action, while also acknowledging that people come from various backgrounds and sometimes struggle for reasons that are out of their control.

In summation, over the next several weeks, I hope that you will find a breakdown of these five therapeutic assumptions helpful. Understanding these assumptions can offer lots of insight into how most people operate, how to become more empathetic, and might also provide some ideas for shifting one’s thinking in order to maximize personal change.