Goldilocks and the Three Couches: Finding Your Own ‘Just Right’

Not that anyone is necessarily keeping track, but this week marks the one-year anniversary of my relationship with Psychotherapy.net as its editor. I want to thank Victor Yalom for the opportunity, although I confused him with his father during our first phone contact. Sorry, Victor. I want to thank the able and creative staff of Psychotherapy.net for welcoming me and helping me to take ownership of this complex, but deeply rewarding position. It comes at a time in my career where I find myself at the intersection of three roles-author, clinician, and counselor-educator.

I am deeply appreciative to all of those authors, clinicians, and educators out there who have shared their stories, beliefs, and challenges along the way to becoming their best selves. To those who have written blogs, articles and have allowed me the privilege of interviewing them, I want you to know that your thoughtful contributions have been important and received by an eager audience of clinicians at all levels of training, across all theoretical disciplines and around the globe.

In the course of reviewing, editing and moving those many fine contributions forward, I am struck by the parable of Goldilocks, or was it a fairytale, I do get the two confused. Some of you have fallen into the soft welcoming couch of a particular theoretical model and have never looked back as you have become the best possible practitioner of that model that you can be. Certainly, there are seductive advantages and unpredictable disadvantages to comfort and certainty. Thomas Szasz suggested that many of us choose security over freedom. Others of you choose freedom, and whether you call it prescriptive, integrative or eclectic, are restless wanderers, forever seeking out that model, that technique, that strategy that is just the right fit. There is an equally palpable price that people pay for freedom. And finally, some of you have dedicated your careers to searching, changing and finally comfortably settling into that therapeutic couch that is just right, personally and professionally.

I thank you all and applaud you all and look forward to our shared journey together.

Lawrence C Rubin, PhD, ABPP
Editor, Psychotherapy.net


from http://www.psychotherapy.net/blog/title/goldilocks-and-the-three-couches-finding-your-own-just-right