Labeling individuals in psychotherapy settings can have harmful consequences, according to psychologist and author Dr. Kixx Goldman. While categorizing helps organize information, applying labels like "paranoid" or "bipolar" to clients risks stigmatization, oversimplification of complex behaviors, and inaccurate diagnoses that may hinder effective treatment.
Goldman, author of 'Speak From Your Heart And Be Heard: Stories Of Courage And Healing,' illustrates this concern through a case from her practice involving a client she calls "Frank." Frank sought therapy for relationship conflict but soon reported feeling monitored at work, believing coworkers were spying on him. A standard psychiatric approach might label him as having a "paranoid delusion" and recommend medication or hospitalization.
"I never did embrace labels like 'paranoid,'" Goldman stated in an article on her website. She argues that unlike designer labels, psychological labels pathologize people, making change difficult by creating written-in-stone perceptions. Goldman, trained in family systems theory, viewed Frank's fears differently.
She interpreted his feeling of being monitored as a protective mechanism helping him avoid painful relationship problems. This compassionate approach focused on Frank's strengths rather than pathology. "If Frank could see his 'symptom' of feeling monitored as being beneficial in protecting him from facing painful feelings or conflicts, he'd be able to more easily accept those feelings and begin to address his relationship problems," Goldman explained.
Goldman's method involves showing clients how their symptoms serve beneficial functions, which she finds most successful with individuals demonstrating openness and self-insight. This perspective is central to her book, a collection of eight fictional stories drawn from real-life experiences. The ebook version will be available at no charge on March 18, 2026 at Amazon.
The book has received positive feedback for its portrayal of resilience. Leslie S. Greenberg, PhD, noted that "the characters' resilience is illustrated by how they transform difficult life stories into constructive final narratives." Reader Liz Moulden commented that the stories "have given me a second chance and a voice, the voice I never had."
Goldman's approach challenges conventional diagnostic practices in mental health, suggesting that real change occurs when clients accept their present situations. By reframing symptoms as protective rather than pathological, she advocates for a therapeutic model that emphasizes client strengths and reduces the stigmatizing effects of labels that can limit healing and growth.
