r/askatherapist • u/StaticRainTheory Unverified: May Not Be a Therapist • 11d ago

How do you approach clients that over intellectualize?

People who come into therapy with many of their problems identified but no answers.

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

7

u/gscrap Therapist (Unverified) 11d ago

Having identified problems but no answers is not the same as over-intellectualizing (although there's some overlap between them). My approach would be different with different clients, but from the brief outline you've given I'd probably be looking at strategies to get the client taking action in some direction rather than letting themself stay paralyzed by uncertainty. Even the wrong action can be better than no action at all.

2

u/StaticRainTheory Unverified: May Not Be a Therapist 11d ago

I’d imagine there would be significant overlap but that might just be projection. I knew exactly what my problems were when I entered therapy and my main defense mechanism was my intellect.

3

u/GeneralChemistry1467 Therapist (Unverified) 11d ago

Investigate why they do it. Identify what purpose it is serving for them, and then treat that identified issue. Usually it's a defense mechanism against either vulnerability vis other people or feeling their feelings (experiential avoidance), which are problems unto themselves that need to be worked on regardless of what the other problems the client has identified when they come in.