On Friday last week I had what I believe was my most challenging client to date. When I say challenging I mean the issues he talked about and the things I saw were very very extreme.


This all happened when I was called to deal with and emergency. I’m not going to say anything else about it as I don’t think it is important, what is important is the point I’m trying to make.


I am going to explain the following the best I can, I know what I mean, it just might be hard to explain in words.

The whole incident got me to thinking about am I desensitized to clients issues and the stories I hear?

When someone tells me for example, they are self harming I have a reaction to that, I feel whatever I feel and I think whatever I think, the most important thing from those words are, I recognise the feelings and my thoughts I am having, because I know that I am comfortable working with self harm.

With the client I saw on Friday, I had thoughts feelings and a reaction to what I had just seen and heard, and because as far as I am aware at this point in time I have not felt, heard and reacted in this way before. So the reactions were all new to me and this gave me new feelings, thoughts and reactions to the new issues I had not heard before.

So what the hell is the point to the blog post.............? I don’t think as a counsellor I become desensitized to certain issues, I think I am use to the feelings and thoughts I have with certain issues and it may seem I am desensitized to them because I recognise my responses.


What am I thinking about as I write this? I am wondering if the client picked up on my reaction and I guessing he did at some level and there are loads of reasons why he wouldn't have too due to is distress. I know inside I was going 'FUCK' and on the outside staying professional and calm at the same time. None verbal communication is a whole new subject.

Any comments would be welcome.