Assumptions

A client comes to a therapist, they have a problem or they are distressed. There are three aspects of their life that they need to look at :
1. Assumptions
2. Values
3. Talents

Assumptions
Assumptions is the clients world view, it is the structure in which they declare their goals of values, and use their talents to get towards it.
Thus a clients assumption is their world view. In therapy what the art is, is to allow clients to think about and get clarity on their assumptions. On seeing these, they can see then how their world has come to be on the basis of the assumptions. Given that they come to therapy with a problem or distress they will then be able to see how their assumptions about the world have contributed to their problems and thus give them the opportunity to change this.
The relationship then between therapist and client must therefore be one of the therapist being an ally to the client in their investigation of their assumptions and their choice to do something about it. If the therapist pointed out the assumptions that the client makes shows them how this contributes to their current difficulties and tells them what to do to fix it, then the therapist is creating a dependency and telling the client that they don’t know how to live their own life.
So the relationship between therapist and client is not paid empathiser, or life fixer, but rather ally. If the therapist merely provided an arena to allow the client to give emotional expression, then nothing would happen. The emotions would be discharged , maybe the client would feel better, but nothing would change. So sure therapy is a safe place to express feelings but it is not the goal of the therapist to encourage a dwelling in these feelings. The feelings are an outcome of the relationship between assumptions, values and talents and these can be changed, but only by the awareness and motivation of the client.
The aim of therapy is to ensure the client can manage their life. This is done by client the tools they have to see this problem, and then to work with their values so they then get the motivation to do something about it.

Values
Values are our motivators for action. They underpin our assumptions about the world so an assumption such as the world is a scary place, might hold the value of only trust those you know, or change is bad.
Assumptions about the world will get created at certain times for certain reasons. As this construct changes so the assumption may need to change. In therapy when a client holds onto a long outmoded assumption you will, under the surface find a strongly held value.
The ability for a person to change is determined by a person finding their motivating value, i.e. that value that is so strongly held that becoming aware of it means action to the contrary is either hard or impossible.
So values are strange things they are the most important but not necessarily the most visible. It is as if people take short cuts. Originally a person may act in full awareness of how their action fits with their value. I must be punctual as otherwise this is lazy and lazy is bad, after many repetitions of this all that is remembered is an instinctual desire to be on time. If circumstances change where the base value needs to be changed, then the client can be left in a bind as they are still acting on the basis of this value but are not aware of it and that's where therapy is needed to make the value explicit so as to change it.
This shows two main points firstly that life is a continual challenge there are no permanent answers and secondly therapy can be a psychic spring cleaning exercise where redundant values and assumption are removed and new motivating factors unearthed.

Talents
Talents are the conduit for values and the worlds in which we inhabit. For someone to make change in their life then they need to have belief in their power to change. Thus a precursor for change is an assessment and acknowledgement of one’s talents. These talents will be found in both obvious and non obvious places. The obvious will be consciousness the non obvious will be in the behaviors that you’re not proud of. In here in our worst moments we can see our talents being misused to achieve these unwanted outcomes. It is within these non obvious talents that real progress can be made where someone realises new strengths they have at their disposal. This discovery of hidden talent gives the client impetus to fresh investigation.