Consulting Client Tip #1: Taking vs Giving

more and more student work comes in I realize how very important it is for us all to share our experience with clients - tips, methods and whatever else comes to mind. The things that I share in this column will be directly related to student work and client work they have done and are posted as a response to that work. If you would like to comment on my posts or to add some information of your own please feel free to press "reply". We have a wonderful group of students here - many are already practitioners of some type - we have the potential to help each other out in so many ways.

Client Tip #1: Taking vs-Giving

Suggest some things to add to the diet, rather than take away. Often, people in depressive or restrictive situations don’t want to be told “don’t eat this”. It is more depressing! So, instead, tell them to eat certain foods every day – give them a list of “healing foods” – this list will of course, be true, such as offering oatmeal to lower cholesterol. However, what you won’t tell them is that by adding these foods they will be LESS INCLINED to have the “bad foods”. Don’t tell them that part. Don’t let on in any way you are saying NO to them. I used this method extensively in Saudi Arabia, where I used to live, as many of the women there were already restricted in their movement and other life choices. They would not have benefited from being told by yet one more person - "You can't do that". When healing you need to consider where and who are person is.