I’ve done a lot of psychotherapy in my career, and one thing I learned early on is to set treatment goals. So in the very first session I would almost always ask this key question: How will we know when we are done?
In other words, this treatment has an end in mind. I can formulate goals and methods to get to where we want. This is NOT an open-ended relationship. We are out to accomplish something. And we agree on what that something is! You are not paying me to be your friend (though I want to establish good rapport–for clinical reasons). I want YOU to go out and make real friends!
And so it is with Ukraine. How will we know when we are done? What are the benchmarks of success? At what point can you stand on your own two feet?