It has been said that all types of therapy, regardless of the type, must be characterized by "constancy of therapist's interest no matter how disturbing the subject; suspension of moral judgment; therapist's empathy, insight, understanding, and acceptance; patient's opportunity to speak the unspeakable now; reliability of therapist in keeping appointments, the duration of the session; the attempt to put patient's welfare first; the safe environment that the therapist's structure provides in which the patient can regress;" and "the therapist allowing him/herself to be used as a transference object without the interference of counter-transference" (Niolon 1999).
Clients should not have to feel as if they must censor class-related issues regarding their concerns about money when debating whether to make a life change, or their feelings about a spouse or relative. However, along with empathy and acceptance, the therapist's duty in many forms of therapy (such as in Cognitive-Behavioral...
If the client says: "I can't leave this marriage because I can't support myself," the therapist will want to probe deeper to find out why the client believes that it is impossible for her to get a job.
A degree of self-knowledge is also required in the counseling relationships. The therapist must understand how he or she is likely to be perceived by the client because of his or her class. Even if the therapist was not born to an upper-class family, he or she should be aware if that is the impression he or she conveys to client. The therapist may wish to be a blank slate, but no therapist is such, given that the client brings preconceived notions to his or her perceptions of the therapist and their relationship.
Reference
Niolon, Richard. (1999). The therapeutic relationship. Psych Page. Retrieved October 30, 2011 at http://www.psychpage.com/learning/library/counseling/thxrel.html
