Affirmation therapy involves the therapist’s affective, not effective, presence with a client—in other words, it is a way of “being” with a person as opposed to “doing” something for him or her. Affirmation therapy can be formally described as a way of being affectively present to another human person in a therapeutic relationship in which the therapist reveals to the client his or her intrinsic goodness and worth. Affirmation is a profound way of being with someone that should not be mistaken for a set of simplistic techniques such as giving a pat on the back or a superficial or shallow compliment. Any actions or interventions on the part of the therapist are secondary to the therapist’s affective presence and are only healing in the context of the loving and nurturing environment created by the therapist.

The authentic care, concern, and love for the client by the therapist is communicated on an emotional level through the therapist’s eyes, facial expression, countenance and other nonverbal communication, as well as gentle words of acceptance and encouragement emanating naturally from the therapist’s heart. This affective presence allows the client to feel loved and worthwhile instead of simply trying to believe it with his or her intellect based on the words of the therapist. As the client accepts or receives affirmation from the therapist, emotional growth occurs naturally and is allowed to unfold at the client’s pace. This emotional growth is comparable to the growth and development of a child as it receives the nurturing love of a parent.

In affirmation therapy, the therapist’s role can be likened to that of a parent—nurturing, loving, understanding, giving example, teaching moral truths according to the capacity and belief system of the client, and seeing to the individual’s intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs.

The therapeutic relationship involves a mutual sharing of the client’s life experiences, emotions, fears and anxieties, as well as an exploration of past and present as it relates to the symptomatology of the client. Most importantly, the therapist reveals the goodness of the client to the client through his or her gentle affective presence, which allows for the client’s emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth and allows the client’s symptoms to be outgrown and gradually disappear.

Even though there are no “techniques” to learn in affirmation therapy, various strategies are used by the therapist:

• Early relationships between the client and his or her parents and significant others are explored as necessary in order to understand the extent of affirmation that the client has received and any other factors that may affect healing.

• The therapist teaches the client about the emotional life, especially about the importance of accepting all of one’s emotions as good and necessary to psychological wholeness.

• The therapist gently guides the client’s emotional growth in a way that fosters a mature understanding of the emotional life and allows for an increased awareness and healthy integration of feelings and emotions.

• The therapist pays close attention to the areas in which the client feels badly about himself or herself, inferior to others, distressed or discouraged, and gently teaches the client the fallacy of any erroneous or irrational beliefs without criticism or reprimand, disapproval or rejection.

Affirmation therapy involves the therapist’s affective, not effective, presence with a client—in other words, it is a way of “being” with a person as opposed to “doing” something for him or her. Affirmation therapy can be formally described as a way of being affectively present to another human person in a therapeutic relationship in which the therapist reveals to the client his or her intrinsic goodness and worth. Affirmation is a profound way of being with someone that should not be mistaken for a set of simplistic techniques such as giving a pat on the back or a superficial or shallow compliment. Any actions or interventions on the part of the therapist are secondary to the therapist’s affective presence and are only healing in the context of the loving and nurturing environment created by the therapist.

The authentic care, concern, and love for the client by the therapist is communicated on an emotional level through the therapist’s eyes, facial expression, countenance and other nonverbal communication, as well as gentle words of acceptance and encouragement emanating naturally from the therapist’s heart. This affective presence allows the client to feel loved and worthwhile instead of simply trying to believe it with his or her intellect based on the words of the therapist. As the client accepts or receives affirmation from the therapist, emotional growth occurs naturally and is allowed to unfold at the client’s pace. This emotional growth is comparable to the growth and development of a child as it receives the nurturing love of a parent.

In affirmation therapy, the therapist’s role can be likened to that of a parent—nurturing, loving, understanding, giving example, teaching moral truths according to the capacity and belief system of the client, and seeing to the individual’s intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs.

The therapeutic relationship involves a mutual sharing of the client’s life experiences, emotions, fears and anxieties, as well as an exploration of past and present as it relates to the symptomatology of the client. Most importantly, the therapist reveals the goodness of the client to the client through his or her gentle affective presence, which allows for the client’s emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth and allows the client’s symptoms to be outgrown and gradually disappear.

Even though there are no “techniques” to learn in affirmation therapy, various strategies are used by the therapist:

• Early relationships between the client and his or her parents and significant others are explored as necessary in order to understand the extent of affirmation that the client has received and any other factors that may affect healing.

• The therapist teaches the client about the emotional life, especially about the importance of accepting all of one’s emotions as good and necessary to psychological wholeness.

• The therapist gently guides the client’s emotional growth in a way that fosters a mature understanding of the emotional life and allows for an increased awareness and healthy integration of feelings and emotions.

• The therapist pays close attention to the areas in which the client feels badly about himself or herself, inferior to others, distressed or discouraged, and gently teaches the client the fallacy of any erroneous or irrational beliefs without criticism or reprimand, disapproval or rejection.