A therapist's job is to listen—but not all words are music to their ears. Some indicate that clients aren’t taking the process seriously; others reveal misunderstandings that need to be clarified or deep-rooted beliefs that need to be corrected.

We asked a handful of therapists which phrases drive them up a wall—and why.

“I don't want to take up too much time.”

When someone spends 15 minutes apologizing for being in Lauren Auer’s office, they're burning through the exact time they're worried about wasting. “They made the appointment,” says Auer, a therapist in Peoria, Ill. “They know how long it is, so it's nothing worth apologizing for. It's literally my job.” Yet she ends up needing to devote part of the session to convincing her client they deserve to be there.

There may be underlyi

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