It is also vital for therapists to assist clients in identifying and working through any feelings of shame that might exist, because the recovery process cannot begin until shame is healed.  Therefore, therapists should have healed any of their own feelings of shame so that, even inadvertently, they do not add to or create shame for the client.

Another important aspect of therapy involves connecting with, healing and nurturing the inner child, especially if that inner child has been wounded along the way.

Therapy serves to remind us to take responsibility for ourselves, our words and our actions, to explore thoughts and feelings, to respond rather than to react, and to learn to step back when necessary, to look at our own process, and without judging ourselves or our feelings, see things from a different perspective. One way to achieve this is for the client and therapist to work together to establish goals for therapy and to reassess these goals on a regular basis.  However, this involvement must be balanced with gentle guidance and pacing by the therapist so the client does not feel overwhelmed or unsafe, especially if dealing with powerful content. 

The process of therapy can help us to develop our ability to quiet the mind, to notice and to become more mindful, to bring what is unconscious into conscious awareness. This process is where the power lies because the first step to change is awareness.  And when that change occurs, therapists need to remind clients how the process of change occurs and how change affects us and the people in our lives.