Wants, Desires, Superclinicians/SWEET Clinicians

Superclinicians are SWEET Clinicians. This means they are clinicians whose vision is to Support Wellbeing through Empowerment, Education, and Training. In this vein, they tend to pay attention to what their patients want, need, or desire. Yet, people’s wants and desires can vary greatly depending on preferences, needs at a particular time, and circumstances. However, Superclinicians do know that there are some common things that many people tend to want in life. They use these common denominators as their point of reference to engage their clients and help them achieve their desired state.

Here are five wants and desires and what Superclinicians or SWEET Clinicians know about them:

Happiness and Fulfillment:

Superclinicians know that, whether we are aware of it or not, we all desire happiness and fulfillment. Some people may not know how to express it, and Superclinicians know that it is their role to help provide a safe space where their patients can identify and use the tools that can help them succeed in first becoming aware of this desire and then expressing it.

Superclinicians help their clients find ways to get involved in various activities and experiences that will help them get out of their comfort zone, stretch and develop themselves. Their patients often find that the outcomes are usually joy, satisfaction, and a sense of purpose – exactly what they have wanted all along and the main ingredients to happiness and fulfillment.

Health and Well-being:

Superclinicians know that individuals generally want optimal physical and mental health. They know that their clients strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle, engage in regular exercise, eat nutritious food, and take care of their overall well-being. They use the triad of the Explanatory Model, the Solution Model, and the Gap Bridging to help start conversations with their patients. They neither shy away from having these conversations nor do they invade their patients. They make use of the Socratic Motivational Practice, and the Patient-Centered Cared Model to facilitate these sensitive and often difficult conversations.

Meaningful Relationships:

Superclinicians know that we are social creatures[1]. We are designed that way; and we desire meaningful connections with others.

Superclinicians know that meaningful connections require optimal socialization. They know that it means how we operate and where we operate is required to build and nurture relationships with families, friends, partners, and communities. Superclinicians also know that their patients are often looking externally and placing the responsibility of developing meaningful relationships on others.   This is an inside-out paradigm, and it is unfamiliar to most. It, therefore, takes a process of unlearning, learning, and continuous learning. With that, Superclinicians are always ready to meet their clients where they are; and help strengthen their area of life of relationship with others.

Success and Achievement:

Who says “success” or “achievement” is not something to want? Many individuals have ambitions and aspirations for personal and professional success. Superclinicians know that this is totally part of who we are. They understand that we are all here to evolve, to develop, to grow, and to model. They understand that the more we have the more we can give; and that we cannot give what we do not have. They then borrow from Goal-Based Therapy[2], from Jay Haley’s Strategic Interventions[3], and from the theories of Goal Setting. They then work with their clients and help them set and achieve goals. They provide a safe place where their patients find the tools and empower themselves to pursue careers or passions through which they express a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. They also learn to empower themselves to use the Law of Little Things, turning their goals[4] into objectives, using strategies, and turning them into tactics, then milestones in areas that are important to them.

Financial Stability:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs[5] is a theory proposed by psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943. It suggests that human beings have a hierarchical structure of needs that must be fulfilled in a specific order to achieve Self-Actualization. The hierarchy is typically depicted as a pyramid with five levels, from the most basic physiological needs at the bottom to higher-level psychological and self-fulfillment needs at the top. A sixth need, self-transcendence[6] was added later on after he had become acquainted with the Viennese psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, the father of Logotherapy, and author of the best-selling book, Man’s Search for Meaning[7]. Maslow’s first five needs are as follows:

Physiological Needs: Which are the fundamental biological needs necessary for survival, such as air, water, food, shelter, sleep, and basic bodily functions.

Safety Needs: Which are the search for safety and security, and stability.

Love and Belongingness Needs: Which are related to social connection, love, and a sense of belonging.

 Esteem Needs: Which are related to self-respect, achievement, confidence, and the respect and admiration of others.

Self-Actualization Needs: Which involve the pursuit of personal goals, self-discovery, self-fulfillment, and realizing one’s true potential.

As you can see, finances are related, one way or another, to each of these five needs in the hierarchy. No wonder, it is a common desire for many people. Our clients, too, seek to have a stable income, meet their financial obligations, and have enough resources to fulfill their needs and pursue their goals. Superclinicians or SWEET Clinicians understand that; and they work with their clients towards such goals, following the 7 Areas of Life Model.

Now unto you:

1. How much of a Superclinician or SWEET Clinician are you?
2. Which of the above are you already doing?
3. Which ones would you like to start implementing right away?
4. When would you like to start implementing them?
5. What do you need to get started?

Below is a list of series happening at the SWEET Institute that you may find to be helpful and relevant to you either becoming or strengthening yourself as a SWEET Clinician. Which ones can you commit to attend?

See below and see you soon:

1. Schema Therapy for Clinicians: Mondays from 8-9pm (EDT)
2. Geriatric Mental Health: 1st & 3rd Wednesday, 8-9pm (EDT)
3. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Series: 1^st & 3^rd Saturday, 2-3pm (EDT)
4. Optimal Aging: Saturdays from 10-11am (EDT)

Please also join us for our upcoming CBT Virtual Conference on CBT for Low Self-Esteem, Friday, July 14, 2023

[1] Gut, Dianne M. “We are social beings: Learning how to learn cooperatively.” Teaching exceptional children 32.5 (2000): 46-53.

[2] Read, Stephen John, and Lynn Carol Miller. “Inter-personalism: Toward a goal-based theory of persons in relationships.” (1989).

[3] Haley, Jay, and Madeleine Richeport-Haley. The art of strategic therapy. Routledge, 2004.

[4] Locke, Edwin A., and Gary P. Latham. “New directions in goal-setting theory.” Current directions in psychological science 15.5 (2006): 265-268.

[5] Maslow, Abraham, and K. J. Lewis. “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.” Salenger Incorporated 14.17 (1987): 987-990.

[6] Koltko-Rivera, Mark E. “Rediscovering the later version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Self-transcendence and opportunities for theory, research, and unification.” Review of general psychology 10.4 (2006): 302-317.

[7] Frankl, Viktor E. Man’s search for meaning. Simon and Schuster, 1985.