Academic qualifications and membership of professional bodies are also highly significant characteristics of the dominant group. Despite the importance of these factors, I will concentrate my argument on the power imbalance in the relationship between any professional counsellor and client, focusing on analytical psychotherapy, gestalt therapy, client centred therapy, feminist therapy, and touching briefly on therapy as administered in some psychiatric hospitals. Academic qualifications and membership of professional bodies are almost always characteristics of the people administering therapy, whether or not they possess other characteristics of the dominant group. I will describe some of the ways an imbalance of power between client and counsellor has led to exploitation of clients. They comment that power games can be played with tables and chairs as much as with words and tone of voice.
Many people come to counselling with lack of confidence in themselves, and low self esteem.
They have usually had people telling them what to do for their whole lives. A counsellor who merely sets up a situation where the client is advised or taught the right way to think and behave, isn't doing anything new, and may just perpetuate the problem the person initially has. I am making an assumption that power imbalance is a bad thing. Not everyone will agree with this assumption and some may even say that progress is facilitated when an expert leads and a non-expert is guided. I would argue that in the matter or human behaviour and relationships, no one person can see into the mind of another, and look there to find what is best for that person.