"DON'T STEP ON TONY!" THE IMPORTANCE OF SYMPTOMS WHEN WORKING WITH PSYCHOSIS

This article claims that the attention to a patient's symptoms is critical when working with psychotic states. It asserts that viewing symptoms as a crucial inroad into the understanding of the patient's issues is often disregarded in today's mental health environment, which focuses almost exclusively on the elimination of symptoms with medication. The authors regard symptoms as presenting a vital inroad into the working relationship with persons suffering psychosis. A detailed case illustration is presented to demonstrate the way working with symptoms gives credibility to the patient's reality and aids in creating a working alliance and in moving the treatment forward.