What is therapy for?

An excerpt from the book Play Therapy by Virginia Axline, where she speaks of the best of what therapy is, what it is for. Eloquent and essential.

In the warm and friendly relationship which the counselor establishes, the client is enabled to face himself squarely, feeling secure in this genuinely co-operative relationship, experiencing an absolute togetherness in this effort to achieve complete self-understanding and self-acceptance. As a result of a successful non-directive counseling experience, the client seems to acquire a consistent philosophy of life which can be summed up as follows: He gains respect for himself as an individual of value. He learns to accept himself, to grant himself the permissiveness to utilize all of his capacities, and to assume responsibility for himself. And in turn he applies this philosophy in his relationships with others so that he has a real respect for people, an acceptance of them as they are, and a belief in their capacities so that he grants them the permissiveness to utilize their capacities and lets them assume responsibility for making their own decisions. It is a real belief in the integrity of the individual. It places emphasis on a positive and constructive way of life.