Chapter Critique Essay

Why? Found it really interesting that Gerry had Stan tell so many early recollections in a row without spending time talking about them individually. This technique makes sense so that the stories form a pattern, but it was surprising to me. The most interesting aspect of the early recollections that Stan spoke of, was that he felt that all the past memories were not as emotional as the one with the kitten. I would have expected being yelled at in very memory would have been a saddening realization.
But, the memories, other than the one about the kitten, were ones he had already thought about prior to the session, so maybe he had already processed the emotions of them in a way. If you were counseling Stan from this particular theoretical framework, what is one additional technique you might use? What would you hope to accomplish with this intervention? I would have encouraged Stan to make the connection of his memories of his parents being all filled with anxiety and yelling, and ask if those memories reflect anything in his current relationship with them.
If you were the client, how would you be likely to respond to the therapist’s (Jersey’s) comments and interventions in this particular session? If I were Stan would have been very interested in the connections between my early memories and my present life. I would be exited to write down more memories in hopes of finding even more connections to current views, thoughts, or habits. Connections, like these, are fascinating.