Who is Téo
I have worked for the last 40 years with severely traumatized people. I found they have a special type of worldview shaped by their past. It is like colored glasses. I used the “missionary approach” to learn what they saw and how they respond to what they understand what I communicate.
There are three sides to this: God, the survivor and me.
I am not important, this leaves the survivor and God, how do they interact?
This sets the tone form my actions:
1. Nothing happens with the counselee what (s)he doesn´t want to happen. So I teach them “ how to survive Téo´s counseling” (how and when to stop me, under what circumstances etc.).
2. They don´t have to tell me anything what they don´t feel secure about. Trust is vital.
3. I need for my ministry that there is a co-worker, who doesn´t have to say anything, but take notes which they can take along or which they can discuss with this co-worker.
4. In specific cases, I ask them to contact the co-worker by telephone if there is a sudden issue coming up rather then giving my 24hour telephone number.
5. I ask them to write if they can do that, what they would like to tell me personally.
6. The “secret of the Silver box”: to keep things in it that are too painful to handle.
7. Nothing happens what I don´t want either! (I don´t do or yield to demands I don´t want to happen).