Now, if as a therapist or coach, you are more Mary Poppins than Dr Dolittle, you will, of course be “practically perfect in every way”.
I have yet to meet a therapist, supervisor, trainer or tutor who is a Mary Poppins....
If however we are Dr Dolittle and we could “talk to the animals, learn their languages, maybe take an animal degree...” well, “what a neat achievement that would be”.
It’s obviously not literally possible to speak every language that our clients may use (well rarely anyway), though it is important to connect with, perhaps use, and certainly understand the specific terminology, words, dialect, or accent of our client.
Nanny McPhee memorably stated that “when you need me but don’t want me, I must stay. But when you want me but no longer need me, then I must go.”
Challenging and insightful.
If you claim to be Mary Poppins, well, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but if you think you are, then you most certainly are not....
Or perhaps you are more Dr Dolittle, able to connect with your client’s individual language fairly accurately. Possible, though in my experience there is always something that doesn’t quite fit.
I once spent quite some time listening to someone talking extensively about his enjoyment of role-playing. He was talking about gaming, of course. I was thinking about gestalt techniques...
But Nanny McPhee seems to convey that sense of transitional support that therapy, coaching and mentoring all provide in different measures.
As vulnerable clients, or those seeking support towards achieving goals and changes in our lives, we need a companion on that part of the journey.
Therapist, coaches, mentors all come into our lives for a short period of time and then go, though their influence can often last much longer.
They may not be perfect as with Mary Poppins. They may not always speak our language as with Dr Dolittle. But they will always be there when we need them however much we don’t want them. And leave when we may still want them but don’t need them.
So which one are you?
