This is self-work, and I'm Dr. Margaret Rutherford.

At self-work, we discuss psychological and emotional issues and what you can do about them,

whether that's learning self-acceptance, taking action, or seeking therapy or treatment.

Eight years ago, I extended the walls of my practice to reach those of you who might already be

knowledgeable about middle health treatment, but also to those of you who might say you'd never

darken the door of a therapist. And yet, you are here. I'll answer your questions while I invite

you to take a few minutes for your

own self-work. But here's the point. A client can become too dependent on their therapist to

help them solve problems or to talk something out. And that's something that the therapist

can have a strong role in creating building that dependency

and that's not what you want at least not for the long haul sometimes in early therapy that can

happen but you don't want that to stay that way welcome to this week's edition of self-work

shrinking no longer only means what happens to close when they

shouldn't have been washed in hot water, or when someone is shy and called a shrinking violet,

or what's happening to people who are losing weight. I'm not sure when mental health folks

began being called shrinks. Quoting a psychology today article, the word shrink is a shortening of head shrinker,

referring to Amazonian tribes who preserve and shrink the heads of their enemies. That's certainly

not a very positive connection. But in a more positive light, it's also suggested that psychotherapists,

because the term was first used to describe psychiatrists and psychotherapist who might shrink problems to make them more understandable.

That's kind of how the word got used.

Most of the time, I hear it used in a funny, almost endearing way when a client calls me their shrink.

It's like some of them call me Doc instead of my name.

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