From the author: Sometimes you read messages on the forum, and you are surprised at how quickly and how much advice various psychotherapists and psychologists can “throw out.” Sometimes the advice is several or even more steps ahead of the client. One life-changing meeting A common story. 16 years. Fell in love. Got pregnant. What to do? Abortion or giving birth? Mom acted very wisely: in response to the “advice” of the uzologist “take the girl for an abortion,” she said: “Thank you, we’ll figure it out ourselves.” She supported her daughter, and the next day she took her to visit her aunt. The aunt turned out to be a believer, and the more interesting is how the conversation took place next. She simply told the girl: I do not condemn you, and no one in this world can condemn you. The decision is up to you. I'll tell you my story. And she told me. About how she had an abortion at one time and how she felt afterwards. At the end she gave me a small booklet with information about this issue. What delighted me in this story was the wisdom of my aunt, who demonstrated, if not all, then many of the significant components of good therapy: She listened. Demonstrated acceptance (“I don’t judge you, and no one in this world can judge you”). She returned responsibility (“the decision is up to you”). I used self-disclosure (“I’ll tell you my story”). Gave information on an issue of concern (book). Not too bad for a conversation over a cup of tea :). Of course, this conversation did not include a variety of diagnostic questions, hypotheses and deep interpretations. And yet, in my opinion, this is an excellent example of “everyday” psychological consultation. Instead of conclusion: 10 years have passed. A happy mother with two daughters is walking down the street. The eldest is 10, the youngest is 5. They walk and chat happily about something. Mom laughs, the eldest daughter carefully throws a jacket on the youngest. They have a whole life full of events, holidays, walks, games. A life that might not have existed.