elle her resistance with an eye on working through it (Bugental, 1978). Borrowing specifically from the vocabulary of existentialism, Bugental cites the importance of "presence," or "being there," for psychotherapists, which is to say "being totally in the situation" (1978, p. 36). Letting Michelle talk on and on, therefore, can be interpreted an exercise in active listening. Placing the client at the center of the therapy puts her in the position of making her responsible for herself, but it also sets the stage for letting the patient talk and deal with and discover herself as well.
On the other hand, it appears that the client is plainly in the early stages of therapy, perhaps the first session, when client and therapist are just getting to know each other. That is suggested by the fact that the therapist is asking for information and not doing much reflection and engagement as the client goes along. Bugental sees value in not intervening with a client whose speech is "self-maintaining," although he says that sometimes, in response to what he perceives as phony revelation, he is "quite intrusive" (p. 109). Rogers provides examples of an interview method that has the therapist drawing out of the client statements about anxieties by way of reflecting, or repeating in some form, a client's statement.
Client: It's almost as if I loved myself--you know--that's strange--but it's true.
Therapist: It seems such a strange concept to realize. Why it would mean "I would face the world as though a part of my primary responsibility was taking care of this precious individual who is me--whom I love" (Rogers, 1961, p. 75).
Obviously reasonable people can disagree about which interview technique would be most effective with Michelle. However, even at this early stage, the client is bringing anxiety and pain to the therapeutic situation in an honest way. Equally, Bugental invites his readers to "let them in . . . not as abstractions, not a...