answer my student in a positive way.

Wow! Reading this chapter couldn'thave come at a better time! I have been dealing with 2 different typesof stress at my practicum site. The first, is the anxiety mentioned inthe book about seeing clients for the first time. The second, alsoeluded to in the book, is being okay with making mistakes. Typically, Iwould say that I am. However, this can be especially difficult whenothers are being overly critical or harsh while you're learning (officepolitics is an issue that I wish I had been a bit better preparedfor, but I digress).

The list of personal characteristics was incredibly encouraging to mebecause it wasn't surface level things like being "nice", but moreabout the type of person that you are. Now I don't want to soundconceited here, but I honestly could see myself in several of thosedescriptions. Don't get me wrong, that means me now, in my old age. Mytwenty-something self? Not so much. The book even mentions thesethings being more or less prominent at various times in our lives andexplains that they should be considered on a continuum. We shouldcontinue to grow on our journey as a matter of course. I think that'swhy the point from the chapter that resonated most with me was, "Ultimately, your single most important instrument is the person you are" (Chapter 2-6p). For that reason, the 3 most important characteristics of a therapist are:

* authentic, sincere, and honest

* have a sense of humor

* make mistakes and are willing to admit them

I've heard time and time again that the "therapeutic alliance" is ourbest tool and the most important aspect of therapy. In order toachieve a strong alliance, I think we need to be genuine, funny, andyes, even fallible, with our clients. In our society, we already seemto have to live up to unattainable ideals. Maybe it will come as arelief to our clients that it's okay just to make peace with who theyare, as hopefully, we have done with ourselves.