Step 3: Wisdom

Wisdom is born of good intentions and is used to benefit oneself and others; it is the ability to use one's skills and insight to respond to a situation effectively and without harm.

A review of the literature reveals several

characteristics of a therapist’s wisdom:

Curious

curious
insightful
able to be vulnerable and genuine with clients
able to be with ambiguity

Responsive

able to respond rather than trying to relieve their own anxiety or discomfort
comfortable being with and exploring emotions

Honor Values

able to prioritize the therapeutic relationship
able to honor clients' values and preferences
able to work within the clients' value systems

Informed Interventions

able to make informed interventions
able to be with a client with warmth and openness

The third step in the MCW Model is Wisdom. By now, you are hopefully feeling calm and heart-centered. Through the lens of a calm compassionate state, use wisdom to guide your next steps.

Here are a few ways to access wisdom:

Adopt a warm, open, and curious stance to your client and their experience. Remain humble and seek to understand.

Now that you learned how to use wisdom click here to learn how to use the MCW Model Worksheet to adapt the model to match your unique skills, beliefs, and areas of expertise.