The doctor who saw through psychiatric labels to find the real person underneath

ABSTRACT Professor John S. Strauss finds real people under any kind of label, whether it be a diagnostic label assigned to a patient, or assumptions about a struggling student, or friends and colleagues coping with the vagaries of university life, or just life in general. Everyone gets treated the same, which is often not the case. Some clinicians seem to adopt a double standard: one for patients and one for others. Dr. Strauss is the great equalizer. He really listens. He makes people feel more competent than they did walking in the door. He helps people laugh at themselves and life. He shares what he knows and hopes that his visitors will do the same while sharing the path together. These attributes happen to be the core secrets of rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and friendship!