Articles & Book Reviews 

Question:  Do you think of your work as being mostly preventative or curative?

Answer (1)  Certainly a bit of both from time to time but in general, I consider my work to be mostly reparative and facilitatory.

Answer provided by David White, Psychotherapist

Answer (2)  I don't think of my work as mostly preventative, as by the time someone seeks therapy, something already is amiss. Neither is my work curative. Therapy is not like taking a pill for an infection. People and their lives are far more complicated than that. Therapy is more like embarking on a journey, accompanied by a guide. So, in answer to your question: my work may be better described as corrective.

Answer provided by Dr Wendy Sinclair, Psychotherapist

Answer (3)  I suppose such classifications are for the client when they reflect on the changes they have embarked along in the process of counselling. If you like, airing issues earlier, rather than at crisis point, can prevent issues festering away and unhappiness being projected on to others. In this sense it may be considered preventative. Curative would indicate something requiring briefer technical work such as learning assertiveness skills to substitute for aggressiveness growing out of frustrated communication with others. For me, people come as they are, and most often leave with resolution, insight and acceptance, or at least some increased capacity for management of feelings, thoughts and behaviours. Counselling may be accessed periodically as a client progresses with successive steps or for new issues as they arise.

Answer provided by John Hunter, Counsellor