Differentiating authentic versus pseudo vulnerability in therapeutic practice.

The importance of empathy and attuned care as key ingredients in therapeutic healing has been widely recognized. However, empathy that is delivered in ways that are misaligned with the client's clinical presentation and emotional states or 'modes' can have the opposite effect, reinforcing unhelpful coping patterns, and hindering recovery. In this theoretical development paper, it is proposed that 'pseudo vulnerability' is an important yet overlooked source of therapeutic impasses, often resulting in unremitting clinical problems, and poor clinical outcomes.