Personal Interview

An Interview with Arthur M. Bodin, Ph.D.

Why did you decide to become a therapist?

Like many other therapists, I noticed by high school that classmates sought me out to talk with about their problems. In addition, my father, an attorney, told me that the one thing he would rather have been was a psychotherapist and gave me a psychology book, which I read with fascination.

What is your specialty?

Helping people with their relationship concerns in their family life, their social life, or their work life. This involves getting a good picture of the nature of these concerns, how they have tried to deal with them so far, and what their goals are. Many people find it useful to work on fine-tuning their communication and conflict management skills. Some clues to the overall picture emerge from my listening to what people say, observing how they interact with each other and with me, and examining their responses on a Relationship Conflict Inventory I have developed. Some typical situations in which people find working on relationships helpful are concerns about dating, getting married, improving marriage and/or parenting, whether to stay married, getting divorced, coping with being divorced, considering remarriage, dealing with "blended family" issues.

Why did you choose this specialty?

Relationships have always fascinated me. Experience has shown me many ways which relationships may affect and be affected by a person's general outlook, moods, and communication skills, among other factors.

What do you think the biggest misconception about therapy is?

That it is either endless or a magical "quick fix."

What do you enjoy most about being a therapist?

The satisfaction of seeing people pleased by making progress toward their goals.

What are the most challenging aspects of being a therapist?

Remembering that just because someone has suffered with a problem for a long time does not always mean that it will take a long time to get past it; in fact, the very length of their suffering may help them be all the more ready for change.

Bearing in mind that no matter how much I think I understand people and their situations, there are probably additional levels of complexity -- only some of which may come to light -- and staying practical enough to avoid paralysis by the unavoidable presence of uncertainty.

Remembering that the people I see make progress assisted by many resources, such as their own strengths and the support and ideas of family, friends, and associates -- not only the therapy.

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