hey :-)

yeah, i think our experiences are one way in which we form beliefs. Philosophers distinguish between two kinds of beliefs: a-priori beliefs and a-posteriori beliefs. Those are the only two kinds there are. a-priori beliefs are beliefs that are arrived at on the basis of our other beliefs (ie as a result of thinking through chains of inference). they are 'prior' to experience. a-posteriori beliefs are 'post' or 'after' experience. a lot of our beliefs are formed in this way... as the result of our experiences (as when we come to believe what we have perceived).

what you say about your childhood does go some way towards making sense of your beliefs. another way we come to beliefs is through a process called 'modelling' so if we hear our father say 'this is stupid' and 'that is stupid' and 'you are stupid' we are likely to 'mimic' and do the same thing ourself.

i cry a lot too :-(
i don't think it has anything to do with how smart one is...
i think a lot of intellectually handicapped people are really very happy and i don't think if i was any smarter i'd cry any less...
but it can be hard when one doesn't seem to be able to stop crying in public :-(
other people... often don't really know how to respond either... which tends to add to the awkwardness :-(

i do notice i think unhelpful thoughts...
and when i notice unhelpful thoughts... i try and replace them with helpful thoughts.

i find... that unhelpful thoughts occur to me mostly when i am tired or in a negative mood / emotional state. that is also when i have the most difficulty replacing those thoughts with more helpful alternatives. sometimes... i have difficulty thinking of more helpful alternatives. :-(

> I would hope that a T wouldn't blame the client for its failure

yeah. but sometimes... this does happen. especially when change is the only acceptable strategy to the therapist...

> unless the client isn't really working at all.

hmm. well... doesn't the point that the client shows up show that they are working to a certain extent? also... change is only one thing to work towards... sometimes when a client doesn't seem to want to work towards change... it can be helpful to switch strategies and work towards acceptance...

> I suspect some Ts get impatient or frustrated when they don't see the expected improvement and blame the client.

yes. probably... especially when they have a supervision team to answer to...

> I will still be human even if I do become an addiction counselor.

:-)
yeah, councellors are human too :-)

is that what you want to do?
good luck with that :-)