Very few things have had a bigger impact on my imagination than The Lord of the Rings. I still remember being just twelve and asking my father to bring me to watch it at the cinema 3 times in the same week. I was so scared (I mean, Gollum is really something, and it was even scarier than the Black Riders in the Fellowship of the Rings!) but still, I could not help to watch it, over and over again. Yes, I was definitely turning out to be a super-geek. Within months, I started reading the books, copying the runes, and before even realizing it, I was down that amazing rabbit hole (or should say hobbit hole?!)... Guess what?
Lucky me, I never went back!
There are many characters I am attached to (mostly good ones... mostly), but there is one I have always loved and just realized fits pretty well with my current adventure. Yes, Gandalf would have been an amazing colleague/lecturer and, of course, a super Occupational Therapist!
REALLY?! Yes, and here is why...
If there are questions that need answers, he will lock himself in a library until he has the right ones! Now, this is something I am learning now: you will never have all the answers your patients ask for, but you still have an honest "I don't know yet" and "I will check for you and will back with the answer". What Gandalf does, day after day, buried under half of the Minas Thirith library is what we usually call evidence-based practice: he looks for reliable, trustworthy, and possibly up-to-date information on that strange, fascinating ring of Bilbo. And it does it before sharing any suspect with Frodo. I mean, Gandalf imagines, almost knows for sure, that that ring is THE Ring. But he wants to be absolutely sure before alarming Frodo. And this is of great respect for his mental health, and also gives Gandalf the opportunity to reflect and came up with a plan. In the books, it takes several years for Gandalf before coming back to Frodo: Now, I am not suggesting keeping a question unsolved for over a decade (poor client!), but taking a couple of days to give them reliable answers does not sound a bad idea.
He really understands the word "mellon", which stands for "friend" in elven language. And Gandalf really has the sense of this word in his heart. The very first "aid" he provides Frodo with, is a friend! Sam was literally picked up like a flower from Bilbo's garden and posed next to Frodo by the wizard who says something like "it will be dangerous: take this!". As a future occupational therapist, I really imagine that people around my patients are of great importance, as they can really be a massive help, or sometimes an obstacle. But, when they are friends, helpers, and supporters, the energy and resources that can come from them must be super-powerful. Acknowledging the social circumstances of a client is as important as assessing the safety of their homes. And, when someone has no friends, it may be worth the time and energy to help them find some! That is one of the reasons why group therapies are really a valuable option, among many others.
He truly believes in you. If you see him knocking on your door, be sure he already knows you can do it, whether it is about tricking a deadly, furious dragon or destroying a devilish ring. No matter your goal, he believes in you, and will always do. There are no goals that cannot be achieved or aim that does not worth the effort, and no time or causes that are lost. More importantly, he believes in you more than you do in yourself. Because Bilbo did not see him succeeding, nor did Frodo. But both of them did. And when Frodo decided, against the shock and surprise of everyone else, that he would have taken the ring to Mordor, just did not know the road, Gandalf was there, providing the needed support to get to the bottom of that trip. Because he knew that what did really matter at that moment was to give Frodo help, and believe he would do it, he would succeed, rather than questioning the real chances: you can change the chances if you give the help that is needed. Now, in therapy, sometimes goals do feel overwhelming, far away, almost impossible. Like facing Sauron with just your willingness! But this is really a matter of having faith in what a client can achieve given the right support. And when you do not see results, just give them time, as Gandalf gave time to Frodo when, even with no news on him, questioned by Pippin, he was sure that Frodo was alive. He was always sure. And, because of this faith, he made all the difference.
Relies on his instinct. Would you choose between two dark, possibly very dangerous roads, only relying on your noes?! Because that is what Gandalf did and, guess what, he was right. With his instinct, he led everyone alive (spoiler) out of there. Sometimes it is a matter of instinct also in therapy. I understood it last week when, during a class, one of our lecturers said that, back at your desk, you know you have to do this, this and that on that situation, that a certain pathology/impairment requires a-b-c intervention, and all the theory surrounding it. Then, when you see the person that's behind the referral, all the theory may vanish, and you may be really left with your instinct. If you have a lot of experience, you start saying things like "Well, I don't really know why/how I did it, it was instinct..." or, in other words, experience you have and you trust. I bet it does take time to develop a good therapeutic instinct, as a good "wizard noes" would, but I will, with experience, and by trusting my own abilities as much as my patients' ones.
He gives you choice. Even when he knows your decision is probably not the best one, he gives you freedom. And this is because, if he was you, he would have done differently; but he knows he is not, and acknowledges that that "if he was" exists. It considers the fact that he is not Frodo, and that it is Frodo that is carrying the ring, so it is Frodo that decides. So, even if he advises, even if he suggests, he always leaves the last word to Frodo. But, what is even more important is the fact that he is there to support, even when troubles come from non-followed good advice. Because there is no fault in taking responsibility for our own journey, in therapy as well as in the MIddle Eart. I do believe this ability comes with a deep acceptance for ourselves and others, with the fact we deeply respect our own journey and are also aware that, as unique as it is, it does not give us a complete insight into the ones of our patients. So, even if that does not look like the best option to us, there may be thousands of invisible reasons for it to be the best option from the client's perspective. And accepting it means losing a bit the control over the process, which is really, really scary. Even so, if Gandalf would have taken the complete lead in the mission, yes, there may have been fewer victims, but also fewer heroes, less friendship, and fewer alliances. There would have been no story at all, for what matters. On the other hand, by stepping back and giving Frodo responsibility (and help, always help), we saw a process of growth through the pages of this amazing book.
Well, it already sounds pretty amazing, right? Let's add to the list things like: the super-magical power to get promoted from Grey to White just at the right time (scenic effect included), amazing sense of humor, fireworks always ready, and thousands of years of good advice, there to be shared while drinking a nice pint.
Ah, and the highly probable chance of being involved in some incredible adventure...
Would you resist? I certainly would not...
References
Rogers, C. (1959). A Theory of Therapy, Personality and Interpersonal Relationships as Developed in the Client-centered Framework. In (ed.) S. Koch, Psychology: A Study of a Science. Vol. 3: Formulations of the Person and the Social Context. New York: McGraw Hill.
Paul, S. & Charura, D. (2015) An introduction to the therapeutic relationship in counselling and psychotherapy. Los Angeles: SAGE.
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