Should You Let Your Therapy Clients Dream Big?

There is nothing more powerful in this world than dreams, and having the ability to dream about something that you hope for in the future. Something happened to me this week that I gotta share with you that I just find almost unbelievable.

When I was in graduate school, one of my professors came to class and said that there’s a conference going on that’s known as the ‘Woodstock of Psychotherapy’. They call it that because all of the biggest names in the field of psychotherapy were going to be speaking at this conference.

The conference actually is called the ‘Evolution of Psychotherapy’, but nicknamed the ‘Woodstock of Psychotherapy’. I mean, the people that invented theories, the people that are most known and respected, have written the biggest books, the biggest theories, all the things, are going to be at this conference.

And the professor was going to give any student that could go, extra credit. Now this conference was going to be in Anaheim, California. I didn’t have any money at the time. I was going to grad school in Texas. There was no way I could have gone. But I remember thinking, maybe one day I’ll be a presenter at that event. This was in 2005. I remember thinking, like, how cool it would be if one day I’d be a presenter at that event.

I’ve never done a presentation at that time. Again. I was just a student. There’s no reason for me to think this is a realistic aim. But that’s the point of dreams. They’re often beyond what is realistic. They’re often beyond what is expected. They’re often beyond what you think could be possible.

But I remember thinking it. I remember thinking how cool it would be if one day I would be considered like a potential speaker for the ‘Woodstock of Psychotherapy’ event.

Well, this week I got an email from the organizers of this event, inviting me to be one of the lecturers at the next conference, at the next ‘Evolution of Psychotherapy’ conference, which is taking place in December of 2025. They contacted me and I’ve agreed. So I’m going to be speaking several times at the next ‘Woodstock of Psychotherapy’.

This is so incredible to me. One of the reasons I love Solution Focused Brief Therapy so much is when we talk about desired outcomes and best hopes, what we’re actually talking about is the way we invite our clients to dream of a future they can’t yet see.

Sometimes the dream is a life without a problem.

Sometimes it’s like, “I’ve had this problem so long that it seems like a dream that I would be able to live without it.”

Or sometimes it’s, “I’ve really never accomplished anything in my life. And how cool would it be if at some point I’ll be accomplished enough that someone would want me to speak at such an esteemed conference.”

Took me 19 years, but it happened.

Dream big !!