"What NOT to do in therapy! Learning from our common mistakes" - Mick Cooper, Ph.D. - s3, e7

Nov 20, 2025

Join Mick Cooper, a leading expert in humanistic and pluralistic therapies, as he reveals essential insights on what therapists often get wrong. He discusses the pitfalls of being too passive and overly cognitive, which can alienate clients. Learn about the importance of authenticity over the 'therapist voice' and the danger of colluding with clients' narratives. Through engaging role-plays, Mick and Dr. Bruce Wampold demonstrate how to better connect with clients by prioritizing emotional engagement and adapting therapeutic approaches to individual needs.

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ADVICE

Don't Be Passive To The Point Of Silence

Avoid being too passive or giving excessive silence that leaves clients feeling unheard.
Offer timely engagement or reflective responses so clients know you are present and invested.

ADVICE

Say Less—Prioritize One Or Two Points

Avoid talking too much or giving long, multi-point interventions that overwhelm clients.
Keep interventions concise and prioritize one or two core points to maintain client understanding.

ADVICE

Prioritize Emotional Experiencing

Don't stay only at the cognitive level; invite clients into their emotional experience.
Use presence and emotion-focused techniques to deepen access to feelings that predict outcome.

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Why do therapists keep making the same avoidable mistakes?

In this episode, Dr. Bruce Wampold sits down with Dr. Mick Cooper — Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Roehampton and an internationally recognized expert in humanistic, existential, and pluralistic therapies.

Together, Bruce and Mick break down common therapist mistakes and their impact on the therapeutic alliance. Through fun and helpful role-plays, they even demonstrate how these common mistakes can show up in the therapy room, and what more effective responses might look like.

Topics include:

• Being too passive (too much silence, not enough engagement)

• Talking too much, or saying things that just aren’t relevant

• Being too cognitive and avoiding emotion

• Letting that “therapist voice” or rigid techniques get in the way of authenticity

• Avoiding affect even when it’s clearly right there

• Colluding with the client instead of exploring the meaning

• Assuming your preferred model is the “right” one for every client

• Failing to explain how therapy works, or why what you’re doing may be helpful

Whether you're a clinician, supervisor, trainee, or simply curious about what actually happens in the therapy room, this episode offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the micro-skills that matter most.

What do YOU think therapists should never do? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Share your perspective in the comments!

🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share — your support helps us keep these conversations going.

👉 Be sure to also check out Mick's related video! 👈

How NOT to do Counseling: 13 Things to Try and Avoid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOk7mR5mFLE

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Mick Cooper, Ph.D. | Professor of Counseling Psychology, University of Roehampton; Author of numerous books, including: Working at Relational Depth in Counselling and Psychotherapy and Psychology at the Heart of Social Change: Developing a Progressive Vision for Society. Check out his books here! https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mick-Cooper/author/B001H6PZPQ

Bruce Wampold, Ph.D. | Emeritus Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Author of The Great Psychotherapy Debate

Produced and edited by Geissy Araújo, Ph.D. and Kevin Riordan.

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The Making Therapy Better podcast is brought to you by CarePaths EHR, an electronic health record system designed to help you improve therapy outcomes.

https://www.carepaths.com

Follow the Making Therapy Better project:

🌐 Website: www.makingtherapybetter.com

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Intro/outro music by Chris Haugen, free for public use.