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Quote by David McPhee PhD

“If a client says, “I’m not an alcoholic ,” I don’t care. If she tells me she drinks a bottle of wine a day (“for my nerves”), drives afterwards (“I’m very careful”), and claims she could “quit any time” (but never has), that’s plenty for me. I’m not going to worry about the label, because my concern is helping her as best as I can, and labels are often unnecessary for that. In mental health, with noted exceptions, therapy can be a great success even with an “incorrect” label , or none at all.”

Quote by David McPhee PhD

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David McPhee PhD

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“Now whether it is a question of understanding a fellow human being or of self-knowledge, I must in both cases leave all theoretical assumptions behind me. Since scientific knowledge not only enjoys universal esteem but, in the eyes of modern man, counts as the only intellectual and spiritual authority, understanding the individual obliges me to commit the lèse majesté, so to speak, of turning a blind eye to scientific knowledge. This is a sacrifice not lightly made, for the scientific attitude cannot rid itself so easily of its sense of responsibility. And if the psychologist happens to be a doctor who wants not only to classify his patient scientifically but also to understand him as a human being, he is threatened with a conflict of duties between the two diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive attitudes of knowledge on the one hand and understanding on the other. This conflict cannot be solved by an either/or but only by a kind of two-way thinking: doing one thing while not losing sight of the other.”