Relationship, Authenticity, and Love

Caring for the Soul in Counselling:
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Relationship, Authenticity, and Love

“Therapy happens between two souls when they meet honestly and sincerely.”
-Vassavada

If there is one essential element for nurturing souls in counselling, it is found in the therapeutic relationship (Ottens & Klein, 2005). This is because caring for the soul, of course, involves caring—and caring is not possible without relationship. Caring is a relationship.
 
In this way, a good relationship will do the work for us—what we do or say as therapists is not as important (Ottens & Klein, 2005; Vasavada, 2019). Relationship is the “third thing,” the “superordinate factor” that, with our openness and participation, comes to act on our behalf (Vasavada, 2019).
 
Much of the methodological underpinnings of caring for soul that you will find elsewhere in this blog are not possible without a strong relational base. This, again, is because they are care-oriented, as in adopting a care vs. cure mentality; the ability to trust the process rather than rush to fix; and the ability for a client to vulnerably explore their imagination and felt sense in front of another.

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