Painful situations arise during the education and careers of counselors and therapists. Most theoretical orientations fail to address how clinicians are to handle their live adversity during the course of their work with clients. In fact, irrespective of the theoretical orientation, most clinicians are given the directive to "check your own life" at the door lest it derail the therapeutic process. Miriam Greenspan, one of the first writers on self-disclosure in the therapeutic process shares how she has handled both acute and chronic adversity as a clinician and brings hope to the humanity of both the clinician and client.