04/22/2026
"When we talk about depth, which I think is so useful to people, we are talking about going beneath surface-level thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, which often get labeled as symptoms, in order to understand what is underneath them, what is driving them, and why this is happening for this particular person in this particular moment of their life. It is not just about the what. It is about the why.
Insight, or self-reflection, is another key part of effective therapy. It helps people recognize patterns they may not have been aware of until they sit down with a therapist and begin to see the links. They may realize, for example, that something feels familiar from childhood, or that the same dynamic keeps showing up in each job or relationship. Therapy helps people become aware of those patterns and, importantly, of their own role in them.
It is not just that things are happening to them. It is also that they are participating in patterns they may not yet understand. Once life begins to come into view in that way, it becomes more a matter of choice. People can begin to make different choices when they understand what they are doing."-Linda Michaels
https://www.madinamerica.com/2026/04/the-fight-for-the-soul-of-psychotherapy-an-interview-with-linda-michaels/
