Another look at Growth Psychotherapy

As clients talk with me about their behaviors, and perhaps more importantly, their desired behaviors, they reinforce the value systems that support the desired behavior. When the desired behavior is not carried out, the discrepancy between the two value systems increases. This results in an increasing degree of conflict internally. As the clients become more uncomfortable, their motivation to resolve the conflict increases, and the likelihood of changing their current behaviors to conform with the desired value system increases.

However, when the client has a limited repertoire of tactics with which to solve problems, the attempts to change behavior patterns often fail. Even with a very limited set of tactics (e.g. a client with a "personality disorder") if the tactics available are adequate to deal with the problem, the client can succeed in resolving the conflict fairly readily. But when the tactics available are inadequate to solve the problem, the discomfort rapidly becomes more acute.

In this latter case, the therapist must find ways to demonstrate or teach the necessary tactical skills to solve the problem The therapist cannot solve the problem directly, of course. But successful therapists are able to teach the techniques for competent problem solving so that the client can ultimately deal with the conflict.

Therefore it appears that this form of therapy has at least two stages: one in which the client becomes more uncomfortable with the discrepancy between their actual behaviors and their desired behaviors, and a second stage in which the client may have to learn new techniques with which to change their behaviors and find new solutions.

This approach to therapy is not aimed at symptom reduction, as cognitive-behavioral therapy is, for instance. In fact, increasing discomfort may be a sign of the efficacy of the therapeutic approach. Sometimes we have to become unhappy with ourselves to develop the desire to change who we think we are.