The only thing wrong with being a rescuer is that it needs someone else to play the victim. It’s a zero-sum game. It’s what happens when we buy into the venerated hero narrative.

We tell ourselves stories about the other person’s deficiencies and dysfunction and forget that strength is a much more engaging narrative.

But strong doesn’t need an “intervention.” Strong doesn’t need someone to step in and tell, or do, or fix. So what are we offering society if our patients and coworkers already have what it takes to create the lives they want?

Who am I if I’m not rescuing?