--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Given the considerable number of children…" description: "\"“Given the considerable number of children who come to therapy begrudgingly, you might expect me to rejoice for those who come with bells on their toes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/richard-bromfield-46070_children_given-the-considerable-number-of-childre_999824.jpg" --- # Given the considerable number of children who come to… ![“Given the considerable number of children who come to therapy begrudgingly, you might expect me to rejoice for those who come with bells on their toes. And sometimes I do. Experience has tempered my exuberance, however, since the speediest in are often also the speediest out. James, who had spent…” quote by Richard Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/richard-bromfield-46070_children_given-the-considerable-number-of-childre_999824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/richard-bromfield-46070_children_given-the-considerable-number-of-childre_999824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/richard-bromfield-46070_children_given-the-considerable-number-of-childre_999824.jpg) > ““Given the considerable number of children who come to therapy begrudgingly, you might expect me to rejoice for those who come with bells on their toes. And sometimes I do. Experience has tempered my exuberance, however, since the speediest in are often also the speediest out. James, who had spent his second hour raving about his first, never came to the third or fourth. When a child too readily pleads for treatment every day or “forever,” I watch for signs of a premature desertion. The precipitant for quitting may be, not an underlying dislike of therapy, but the intolerable frustration over having so little of it.”” [Richard Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bromfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Therapy can be appealing at first, but over‑eagerness may lead to early dropout when expectations exceed reality. **In simple terms:** Kids may quit therapy quickly if they feel it’s too little. Key Takeaway Balance enthusiasm with realistic expectations. Themes therapy expectations engagement burnout Mood cautious reflective Type clinical advisory When to use this quote - initial intake - early sessions - parent counseling - school referrals Key Concepts Motivation Attachment Therapeutic Alliance Questions to Reflect On - How can clinicians set sustainable expectations? - What signs indicate a child is at risk of premature dropout? A Different Perspective Some children may leave due to external pressures, not dislike of therapy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Come Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-therapy-1511023/) [Dislike Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dislike-therapy-2102987/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy/) [Therapy Begrudgingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy-begrudgingly-2102986/) [Therapy Intolerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy-intolerable-2102988/) ## Related quotes > [You know, people come to therapy really for a blessing. Not so much to fix what's broken, but to get what's broken blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/you-know-people-come-to-therapy-really-for-a-blessing-not-so-much-to/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [People do not come into therapy to change their past but their future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-h-erickson/people-do-not-come-into-therapy-to-change-their-past-but-their-future/) [Milton H. Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-h-erickson/) > [People don't come to therapy for exclamation; they come for experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frieda-fromm-reichmann/people-don-t-come-to-therapy-for-exclamation-they-come-for-experience/) [Frieda Fromm-Reichmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frieda-fromm-reichmann/) > [“Many people, not least those people who come to therapy, convince themselves that there are alternative options to choose where none exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernesto-spinelli/many-people-not-least-those-people-who-come-to-therapy-convince/) [Ernesto Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernesto-spinelli/) > [When I said on national television I still struggle, a reparative therapist called me and said if you'll come into therapy with me I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-chambers/when-i-said-on-national-television-i-still-struggle-a-reparative/) [Alan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-chambers/) > [ISABEL: Sorry I missed my session Monday. DR. RUSH: Would you like to tell me why? ISABEL: I was depressed. DR. RUSH: That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lutz/isabel-sorry-i-missed-my-session-monday-dr-rush-would-you-like-to/) [Lisa Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lutz/) > [You know, I think everybody I've seen has come from some other therapy, and almost invariably it's very much the same thing: the therapist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/you-know-i-think-everybody-i-ve-seen-has-come-from-some-other-therapy/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“You will stay in therapy as long as you feel it is worth the time, effort and money you invest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/you-will-stay-in-therapy-as-long-as-you-feel-it-is-worth-the-time/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [I keep a journal. I like myself better when I just pour it out. 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A cognition refers to the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/the-first-principle-of-cognitive-therapy-is-that-all-your-moods-are/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) ## More by Richard Bromfield > [“Not one of us gets all of the understanding we want, and few get as much as we need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bromfield/not-one-of-us-gets-all-of-the-understanding-we-want-and-few-get-as/) [Richard Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bromfield/) > [“Be good to the child and he will come to you tomorrow. - Unknown”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bromfield/be-good-to-the-child-and-he-will-come-to-you-tomorrow-unknown/) [Richard Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bromfield/) > [“Attachment begins early but grows slowly. There are no shortcuts. Verbal guarantees of safety or nurturance carry no more weight than those for hair-replacement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bromfield/attachment-begins-early-but-grows-slowly-there-are-no-shortcuts/) [Richard Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bromfield/) > [“underscores the fact that parents’ fears are well founded. The numbers don’t lie, and there are too many of them to ignore or dismiss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bromfield/underscores-the-fact-that-parents-fears-are-well-founded-the-numbers/) [Richard Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bromfield/) > [“had failed to learn the value of money and how to work for it. And in a Center for a New American Dream survey,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bromfield/had-failed-to-learn-the-value-of-money-and-how-to-work-for-it-and-in/) [Richard Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bromfield/) > [“numbers. 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I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? 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