I totally agree with this. I want my therapist to know me, to know my strengths and weaknesses, and to help me help myself move forward. Some days therapy is a relief, and some days it brings up old stuff, anger, and all situations in between. I can't really ascribe one adjective that could encompass what I need in a therapist.

As far as support goes here, I think that is individualized also. To me, sometimes it isn't that I don't want to hear what is being said, more like I don't want to feel it. Sometimes it is necessary to feel it, and sometimes it can be detrimental and cause more defenses to be erected, etc. I think sometimes it isn't an unwillingness to hear what is said, but maybe it is that the poster isn't ready for what is being said, or what is being said doesn't describe what the person is experiencing. We all own our own truths, and they can be different than each other but still remain truths.

I tend to think that how people respond to other people can be a function of how the person's inner self-states/parts interact with each other. I think MKAC, you say this?, but when someone is saying something that doesn't sit right, it is often a time to focus inward.

Just my two cents.

Thanks for sharing this article.