Secret said:

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That framework thing ... I am trying to understand... though I understand it in the context you use it. I notice people here mentioning frames but wonder how important people feel knowledge is about the frame when they are working on an issue. Are they like boundaries for a discussion or a road map or what? I should probably know this... :-)

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I think of a framework as sort of the skeleton, it just gives form or a mental image or provides a container for what is inside. I think your question is interesting because I think the answers depend on who you are, who your T is and what kind of therapy he/she practices. It is my understanding that there are more rules, hence a sort of road map, in behavioral therapy than in analysis or psychodynamic therapy.

My T is into analysis and I guess psychodynamic although we have never discussed this. (He did mention once that he was an analyst). So, for someone who has never been in therapy or a similar type of therapy it is helpful to get an idea that what is going on in the room is ok and normal. For me, my last therapy experience was very different, so reading a little bit, particularly on this website, has helped me to understand the experience as ok.

I guess reading books about psychology and therapy help to normalize the experience. I don't think it has any bearing on what actually transpires in the room, at least for me it doesn't. I havn't really read any psych books, just the healing book I mentioned, and some child development stuff for my teaching coursework.

I don't want to read too much about the mechanics of therapy at this point because (1) it is not my "thing" and (2) I don't want to get to the point where I am reading into it too much, and (3) I wouldn't want to wind up using it as a distraction from the work at hand. I do talk about my literacy work and teaching struggling readers, because that is my stuff, and what I am interested in and so I can use it as a metaphor for other things.