Effective therapy hinges on being willing and able to “stay calmly attuned and connected,” according to Martha Straus in, “Getting Unhooked: Connecting with Traumatized Kids Who Push Your Buttons,” from Psychotherapy Networker (September/October 2014).
Straus writes about one of her adolescent clients, “My job is to feel calm with her. It’s not a matter of just teaching her isolated coping skills. If she can be mad at me, she can also come to feel, in real time, what it’s like to let go of smaller injustices.”
By simply being calm and present with our clients, no matter their age, we aid them as they learn to manage and understand their emotional lives.