What does a combination of empathy and respect allow?

Answer 1

A combination of empathy and respect allow licence for maximal therapeutic leverage. This means that by showing the client warmth and understanding, the therapist can get a sense of how far they want to be pushed and then push them slightly harder. If a therapist does not push hard enough then the client perceives this as being cold. The therapist should use intrusive, empathetic guesses (except with extremely paranoid clients) as this conveys warmth and interest and allows hidden thought, feelings and beliefs to be exposed. An empathetic voice tone is imperative when asking these intrusive questions.