My T said recently that she rarely brings up "inner child" transference directly with clients because they don't know how to do it. I don't know how it's possible to work through a transference relationship without discussing it, but I suppose my t knows what she's doing. I think maybe it's the nurturing, empathic relating that leads to improvement. I guess it depends on whether a patient can delve deeply into himself, or maybe has taken psychology in college and knows the terminology. Therapists can work on different levels with different clients, in other words.