Over the last 1.5 years, I have been attending several trainings to improve on my therapeutic skills so as to better support my clients. It gets easier and more difficult at the same time. Easier because I am now better equipped with approaches and skills to empathise, listen, and support; and more difficult because each training is a reminder of the responsibility we have as practitioners to meet our clients where they are in a professional and ethical manner, as well as to provide the appropriate support they need. That is a heavy responsibility. While gardening seems like a recreational activity, our practice of using gardening/horticulture as a therapeutic medium has to serve more than providing recreation. Plants and nature provide a starting point for the therapeutic experience, and the facilitator or therapist plays a key role in creating and enhancing a supportive environment for positive change in various dimensions of wellness.
I appreciate every trainer and peer I have come across recently because their professionalism, experience, and eagerness to learn have given me so much food for thought. I’m learning both what not to do and what to do. Here are two concepts/thoughts I’ve been revisiting lately:
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is key in building a therapeutic relationship. These days, I have cut down on posting publicly about our sessions because I want to lay that foundation of trust with my clients. They should feel safe participating, knowing that their privacy is protected. The trainer in one of the workshop series said, we don’t take photos and videos, and we don’t post about our training materials…not to gatekeep information but to safeguard our client’s privacy and to allow everyone to feel safe in being honest and open. I find it helpful to ask myself, “What is my ego trying to achieve by posting this?”
W.A.I.T
Sometimes it feels like all everyone does is talk. What if we listened more deeply instead and asked ourselves what the intention of our words are? Authentic listening and appropriate silence give us space to acknowledge what has been said. Waiting gives us time to think before reacting. Why Am I Talking?
