I don’t actually think every relationship is replaceable. My deceased father isn’t replaceable, for instance, and no other relationship I have will ever be quite like that.

I think it’s fair to say that the same is true of therapists and clients. Yes, generically it all seems like the same relationship, like if my mother had remarried a stepfather would have replaced my father. But both parties are unique and the way they interact is also unique. You can get another therapist, and it won’t be the same. He can get another client and it won’t be the same.

I think the key is to enjoy the present in the relationship, and not be so intent on the future—because that will be based on what happens in the present.