I don't personally recall a therapist ever using the term "work" with me. "Practice"- yes. "Application" - yes. I personally think of it as a stubborn commitment on my part, to do whatever the heck I needed to do to get past my crap so I could move on with life. I was fed up with being stuck in instability and deliberately vowed to do whatever it took, no matter how difficult it was. Call that work I guess. It certainly has been.