ANSWERING CLIENTS QUESTIONS

Psychodynamic literature is replete with general references to therapi st-client interactions, although few writers offer specific suggestion s for answering clients' questions, This article attempts to clarify s ome basic guidelines for answering clients' questions. Therapist respo nses to questions will be recommended according to the category of que stion and whether the client's motives are overt or covert. These cate gories include: (I) genuine requests for information (particularly at the beginning of treatment); (2) indirect requests for some type of gr atification from the therapist; (3) questions that are really statemen ts; (4) questions that are tests; and (5) questions that push the ther apist's boundaries. Clients dynamics that may underlie covert question s such as shame, anger, determining if the therapist cares, projective identification, and testing the therapist's limits and boundaries, ar e explored.