Psychotherapy education

This is a phenomenological study exploring the first-person lived experiences of 14 clinicians in their daily practices of integrative psychotherapy, in an Irish context. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews lasting 50 minutes and investigated using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three master themes emerged: (1) Being an Integrative Practitioner (2) The Therapeutic Relationship – A Dynamic Process and (3) Identity – Personal and Individual. The findings confirm that integrative psychotherapy is a complex and idiosyncratic process. The therapy practices as described by participants differ to those as outlined in the literature. Participants use their prior, tacit knowledge of what worked previously, built up through a cycle of praxis, as a reference point for their practice. Integration is seen as combining different interventions and techniques. All consider listening as the mainstay of building the therapeutic relationship and the driver toward...

Personal therapy is a common mandatory element of counseling and psychotherapy training in the United Kingdom. Previous research has established that this practice provides trainees with a unique learning space but also is associated with financial and emotional costs. Furthermore, some argue that the practice of personal therapy is ethically questionable. At the heart of many relational modalities, such as Gestalt psychotherapy, lies the relationship between client and therapist and more research is needed to explore how trainees perceive established training methods. The current study recruited 11 trainee Gestalt practitioners and conducted one-to-one semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences of engaging in personal therapy. A number of themes emerged in reflexive thematic analysis: trainees perceived personal therapy to be associated with professional and personal gains as well as financial and emotional costs; they also viewed personal therapy to be an essential component of their training but would like to be involved in discussions around how it is shaped. We recommend that training providers and professional bodies offer such a dialogic space, and that future research and practice further considers the barriers of minority clients and trainees in particular.

This study explores the subjective experiences of CBT therapists who have undergone personal therapy and seeks to gain insight into the significance of personal therapy in CBT clinical practice. Seven CBT therapists who have undergone personal therapy were interviewed. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was chosen to generate rich interview data. Participants were asked about their experience of personal therapy in clinical practice. Participants' narratives were analysed using IPA to identify common themes. The analysis resulted in twelve interrelated themes from which three master themes emerged. The first theme, 'Personal therapy creates conflict', explores a paradox that arises between personal therapy and CBT clinical practice; participants suggest that personal therapy equips them with therapeutic tools that paradoxically hinder their capacity to practice a standardised protocol-led CBT. The second master theme, 'Personal therapy ties me to humanity', suggests that the gap between personal therapy and CBT practice narrows by participants' 'use of self': calling upon their own vulnerabilities to forge fundamental connections with their clients based on the shared experience of being human. This study finds that all participants value 'being human' with their clients, however, struggle to find the space 'to just be' within an action-focused, goal-orientated CBT model. This is further explored in the final theme, 'Personal therapy: Being and doing'. Potential implications of the themes that emerged were considered. This study contributes to the literature on CBT and counselling psychology, and to the understanding of a divide in the psychotherapy profession between evidence-based priorities and expectations of reflective practice. 4

This study explores the subjective experiences of CBT therapists who have undergone personal therapy and seeks to gain insight into the significance of personal therapy in CBT clinical practice. Seven CBT therapists who have undergone personal therapy were interviewed. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was chosen to generate rich interview data. Participants were asked about their experience of personal therapy in clinical practice. Participants' narratives were analysed using IPA to identify common themes. The analysis resulted in twelve interrelated themes from which three master themes emerged. The first theme, 'Personal therapy creates conflict', explores a paradox that arises between personal therapy and CBT clinical practice; participants suggest that personal therapy equips them with therapeutic tools that paradoxically hinder their capacity to practice a standardised protocol-led CBT. The second master theme, 'Personal therapy ties me to humanity', suggests that the gap between personal therapy and CBT practice narrows by participants' 'use of self': calling upon their own vulnerabilities to forge fundamental connections with their clients based on the shared experience of being human. This study finds that all participants value 'being human' with their clients, however, struggle to find the space 'to just be' within an action-focused, goal-orientated CBT model. This is further explored in the final theme, 'Personal therapy: Being and doing'. Potential implications of the themes that emerged were considered. This study contributes to the literature on CBT and counselling psychology, and to the understanding of a divide in the psychotherapy profession between evidence-based priorities and expectations of reflective practice. 4

An approach is presented that introduces the concept of countertransference to predoctoral interns and externs in a unique way during their professional training. This approach goes beyond a didactic presentation of the concept and even beyond discussion of case material in supervision. Through an experiential role-play process called Mimesis, trainees are encouraged to enact scenes from literature that depict typical dilemmas that psychotherapists working in a psychodynamic framework must face. By using carefully chosen stories, supervisors can highlight aspects of the therapeutic process such as managing countertransference feelings. This approach fosters a more flexible and open inquiry into one of the most daunting aspects of professional development for both trainees and supervisors.

This article discusses the authors' experiences of the transition from trainee to trainer on a psychotherapeutic training programme, and some of the challenges involved. Using the framework offered by Rizq (2009), the article examines the many parallel processes implicit in the roles of trainee, trainer and therapist. We explore these using examples from personal experience and psychodynamic theory and concepts. We believe our experience illustrates one of the transitions that are inevitable throughout the process of training, qualifying and practising as therapeutic practitioners. These transitions, whilst often fraught with difficulty, are invariably paramount to the process of reflection and development as a practitioner and teacher. Therefore, this article hopes to formulate a deeper understanding of this edifying, yet challenging transition.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

This study contributes to the therapist variable in general and the personality profile of securely and insecurely attached psychotherapists and other healthcare professionals in particular. In a preceding study, it has been found that insecurely attached psychotherapists differ in nine personality styles from securely attached ones. The aim of the present study was to replicate these findings and to investigate whether they also apply to other health professions such as dentists. About 891 subjects from two German professional societies for hypnosis were surveyed online with a personality questionnaire [Personality Styles and Disorder Inventory (PSDI)] and an attachment questionnaire [Relationship Scale Questionnaire (RSQ)]. Since these subjects were interested in hypnosis and used it in their practice (HYP), 150 dentists without a hypnosis context (NONHYP) were studied as a control group with the same survey. The results of the preceding attachment study could be replicated: Insecurely attached healthcare professionals differed significantly from securely attached ones in the same nine (plus one, i.e., 10) personality styles if they use psychological methods including hypnosis. If they do not use psychological methods (like the NONHYP dentists), they differ in half of the personality styles. No within-sample and no between-sample differences have been found in the assertive/antisocial (AS) personality style. No within-sample differences have also been found in the conscientious/compulsive (ZW) and the intuitive/schizotypal (ST) personality styles. However, large between-sample differences were obvious in ZW and the ST. Both of the samples of the dentist were much more compulsive than the two psychotherapeutic samples. In addition, both of the HYP samples were much more schizotypal than the NONHYP samples. The latter is the general signature of those individuals who are interested in hypnosis and were metaphorically termed homo hypnoticus. It seems that AS, ZW, and ST are independent of attachment.

This is a contribution to the research on the therapist variable aiming to improve effectiveness of psychotherapy. It is shown that attachment styles shape personality styles of psychotherapists in a favorable or unfavorable manner. Data on personality (PSDI) and attachment (RSQ) styles was collected from 430 psychological psychotherapists of the DACH countries using an online survey. The 88 insecurely attached psychotherapists differed significantly from their 342 securely attached colleagues in 9 of 14 personality styles: They were-even though well within normal range-more paranoid, borderline, schizoid, dependent, negativistic, selfsacrificing, avoidant, and depressive, as well as less optimistic. This corresponds to results of other researchers. Data regarding their effectiveness was not available. It is argued that a secure attachment style predispose to be a good psychotherapist. Yet, insecurely attached psychotherapists possibly compensate their adverse traits through self-therapy, continuous education, and supervision.

First-hand experience of being a client is regarded by many psychotherapists as making an essential contribution to professional development. Although research has not established any direct influence on client outcome, arising from therapist participation in personal therapy, qualitative studies have explored how therapists transfer learning from one context to the other. A group of six therapists-researchers engaged in a collective autoethnography in which we shared narrative accounts of our own experiences as clients. Together we covered a wide set of therapies, sought for varied purposes, and from different stages in the life-course. Different areas of learning were identified: negative experiences could strengthen own convictions for acting differently; positive experiences worked as inspiration and support; being in therapy early in life represented a significant formative experience; working through complex personal issues in therapy gave the courage to identify similar conflicts in phantasies and realities of clients. The link between having been a client and working as a therapist is a subjective, reflective process of reworking figure and ground in the search for professional sensitivity.

The commitment to both professional and personal development is universal in the counselling profession. It is believed that the development of the client is in many ways limited by the development of the counsellor. Counsellor training is in many forms but primarily in forms of formal education (qualifications such as certificate, diploma, master's degree, or Ph.D.) and ongoing professional development (such as workshops, seminars, supervision, or conferences). This article is a literature review of professional development for the counselling profession, including the key findings of two major empirical studies of psychotherapist and counsellor development, a rationale for the importance of professional development for counsellors, purpose, and the benefits of counsellors' professional development.

The present study aims to reveal the experience of therapeutical change and importance of emotional, experiential learning for a future psychotherapist. There are two research questions: how do psychologists preparing to become psychotherapists experience and make sense of therapeutical change, and how do they experience and make sense of the group experience. The study is of qualitative nature using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a research method and Psychodrama group therapy as an intervention method. Findings show a clear progress towards a more authentic and stronger self. Personal therapy is recommended as an essential component of a psychotherapy training program.

Why someone would want to become a psychotherapist is a puzzling question, and one that it is seldom examined within the wider profession. The training to become a therapist is arduous, expensive, personally challenging, with no guarantee of secure career prospects and yet more and more people are choosing to join this profession. 1 Why would someone want to listen, as a job and with no certainty of success, to people with a wide range of causes for unhappiness, depression and, at times, despair? Some of the complexity in answering such a question is historically signposted by Goldberg (1997) who concluded that "psychotherapy is not a conscious and rational vocational choice" (p.49). Knowing why people want to become psychotherapists would seem a fundamental issue of concern, not least because of the undoubted power and influence they can have over vulnerable and distressed clients. However, it is a seldom-researched focus of attention, which is surprising given the risks that might prevail for therapists not connected with their motivations. For example, there is the potential for therapists not in touch with their motivations to unconsciously exploit clients for their own unknown or unmet needs (Sussman, 1992). Also, an analysis of therapists′ motivations raises the intriguing question posed by Storr (1990), namely, "are those who are attracted to the profession the best kind of people to become psychotherapists?" (p.168).

Beginning with the second, it should be noted that over the last 18 months there has been an opening up of dialogue between groups whose different tirril harris divides her time between clinical work in private practice with adults and research in Social Psychiatry with George Brown, based at the Socio-medical

The current article focuses on client's perspectives of the mechanisms of change in Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT), a brief psychodynamic therapy developed for the treatment of depression. Five participants were interviewed and the transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The results point out four subthemes, capturing different active ingredients of DIT: therapy shedding light on previously sealed aspects of self; the relational exchange with the therapist challenging intimate fears; moving towards an interpersonal understanding of their difficulties; and putting the pieces of their lives together into a coherent narrative. Overall participants described an interplay between relational and insight-oriented mechanisms taking place. As part of the former mechanisms, participants reported the development of a secure attachment to their therapist and the provision of a new relational experience, partly via mechanisms corresponding to the concept of transference. Participants reported an increase in insight to have been achieved via an understanding of an interpersonal and emotional pattern as well as via the restoration of a coherent life-story. Processes that theoretically map onto the concept of mentalisation were also reported. The findings are discussed in relation to the DIT and psychodynamic theory about change and to relevant research literature.

Mandatory personal therapy has become a practice in many counseling programs across the world. It is aimed, among other rationales, for the trainees’ personal development, professional development, and for the trainees to be in clients’ seat. How do the counseling students view mandatory personal therapy? Will they voluntarily continue personal therapy after the mandatory experience? This study therefore attempted to answer these questions by investigating the perception of postgraduate counseling students about mandatory personal therapy and its continuity after mandatory experience or graduation. The target population was all the 635 postgraduate counseling students at the Nairobi University, Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Daystar University, and Tangaza University College. These universities were selected from the universities training clinical and counseling psychologists using stratified random sampling techniques. The sample size was 255 comprising of 245 counseling st...

The helping professions of psychotherapy and counselling involve a process of lifelong learning and professional development. Multiple influences may serve as pathways to professional development and growth. The study explored practitioner perceptions of a range of influences on their development as therapists. The Development of Psychotherapists Common Core Questionnaire-India (DPCCQ-I) was completed by 250 mental health practitioners with diverse professional backgrounds and experience levels, practising in India. A section assessed therapists' ratings of ten potential influences, both positive and negative, on their professional development. Thse results indicated that experiences in therapy with clients, reading books and journals, therapists' personal life experiences, and case discussions were perceived as having the most positive impact on development as a therapist. The most frequently reported negative influences were institutional conditions, experiences with clients, and personal life experiences. The strength of influences in select domains varied according to therapist experience levels and professional background and was significantly associated with indices of therapist perceptions of their skills and growth in therapeutic work. These results are discussed in the context of unique practice realities in India. Implications for professional training and continuing development are outlined.

The length of training has little to do with the outcomes of psychotherapy and counselling. Those with considerably less training are just as effective, or even more so, when compared to those with advanced specialised degrees, such as in psychotherapy, clinical psychology or social work. The publication of innumerable articles and studies over at least a forty-year period, often by research psychologists, supports this contention. This paper explores the evidence that concludes there is equivalence in effectiveness between paraprofessionals and professionals, and in some studies, evidence of superior client outcomes for paraprofessionals. The importance of the therapeutic alliance in determining outcomes for clients is underscored.

The development of psychological disorders has been explained by several psychological theories and remains under debate. Psychotherapists, however, have insights into the emergence and development of psychological disorders that stem from both theory and practice. The constantly evolving field of psychotherapy prompts reconsideration, specifically when psychotherapists’ views on the development of disorders impacts their treatment approach. In addition, theoretical orientation and years of clinical experience, while known to influence psychotherapists’ viewpoints also merit further study. Applying Erving Goffman’s frame analysis, semi structured interviews with psychotherapists were conducted to determine their perspectives on the emergence of mental disorders. Biological, environmental, and psychological factors were mentioned both separately and in combination by the therapists. These factors, or frames, were then analyzed in relation to the therapists’ therapeutic approaches and...

Background: Therapist characteristics seem to be a key factor in clinical effectiveness. Trainees' personal and professional background, motivation, and interpersonal style have been shown to deserve attention in previous research concerning therapist development and warrant further study due to their potential implications for psychotherapy training outcomes. Aim: To explore personal and professional background, motivation, and interpersonal style of psychotherapy trainees with different theoretical approaches. Findings: In the present study, 135 postgraduate psychotherapy trainees with different theoretical approaches (psychodynamic, systemic, and cognitive-behavioral) completed the Trainee Background Information Form (TBIF), reporting information concerning their background, style of relating, and motivations. Personal experiences of trainees were frequently reported as a motivation in undertaking psychotherapy training and were associated with negative experiences in childhood. Significant differences were found in the motivations and interpersonal style of trainees with different theoretical approach. Implications: Personal experiences, motivation and interpersonal styles should be taken into consideration in future studies on therapists' development and in the implementation of psychotherapy programs.

University of Crete. She teaches courses in community psychology, including a brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by UWE Bristol Research Repository 2 2 course in systemic thought, theory and intervention. Most of her research has focused on effective interventions for children, families and communities.

This is a phenomenological study exploring the first-person lived experiences of 14 clinicians in their daily practices of integrative psychotherapy, in an Irish context. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews lasting 50 minutes and investigated using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three master themes emerged: (1) Being an Integrative Practitioner (2) The Therapeutic Relationship – A Dynamic Process and (3) Identity – Personal and Individual. The findings confirm that integrative psychotherapy is a complex and idiosyncratic process. The therapy practices as described by participants differ to those as outlined in the literature. Participants use their prior, tacit knowledge of what worked previously, built up through a cycle of praxis, as a reference point for their practice. Integration is seen as combining different interventions and techniques. All consider listening as the mainstay of building the therapeutic relationship and the driver toward...

This phenomenological study was concerned with the clarification of the experience of the difficult clinical moment which is defined as a discrete moment in which the psychotherapist experiences distress as a result of his or her work with a client. Retrospective descriptions of experience of difficult clinical moments were obtained from a diverse sample of ten seasoned psychotherapists in the Seattle area. The interviews were transcribed, analyzed, and summarized, and these summaries were confirmed by each participant as being an accurate representation of their experience. Thematic analysis revealed six themes of experience during a difficult clinical moment: 1) Feeling Fear, 2) Feeling Inadequate, 3) Feeling Anger, 4) Feeling Confused, 5) Feeling an Urge to Hide Feelings, and 6) Feeling an Urge to Terminate. An essential general structure of the experience of difficult moments was derived from these themes. Conclusions are discussed including: 1) the novel findings of feeling fear and feeling an urge to hide one's feelings during difficulty; and 2) the urge to hide one's feelings during difficulty appears to be motivated by both therapist shame and an urge to maintain the therapeutic relationship. Implications are discussed including: 1) the dilemma regarding whether or not a therapist should entertain the urge to hide his or her feelings; and 2) the culture of shame within the field of psychotherapy that stigmatizes therapist difficulties which interferes with consultation. Recommendations for training and research are provided v including a recommendation to disseminate these findings to normalize the experience and to encourage therapists and supervisors to discuss difficult clinical moments within consultation, supervision, and training which might reduce the distress of the moment, improve coping skills, provide treatment strategies, and ultimately improve client outcomes. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center,

Background: Therapeutic training is considered as the beginning of therapists’ professional development. Research exploring the experiences of therapeutic training, particularly the experiences of trainee counselling psychologists is scarce. Additionally, research exploring the experiences of therapists integrating a new model of therapy is also limited; this is a surprising fact given the growing development of the integration movement in the therapeutic world. Aims: The present study explores how trainee counselling psychologists, with a prior training in a ‘core’ therapeutic model, experience and make sense of their current training in counselling psychology. As a secondary aim, this study explores how these trainees experienced integrating a new model of therapy in their practice and the process of integration within the context of counselling psychology training. Participants: Six trainee counselling psychologists from three different training courses based in the UK, who had a...

The authors examined the attitudes and reasons of 119 American psychologists, counselors, and clinical social workers who had never sought personal therapy. Nontherapy seekers, compared to therapy seekers, expressed less-positive attitudes toward its value as a prerequisite for clinical work and for ongoing professional development. Women, men, and members of all three professions were equally likely to have sought therapy, but cognitive-behavioral therapists and academics were significantly less likely to do so. Top reasons for not undergoing personal therapy entailed dealing with stress in other ways, receiving sufficient support from friends and family, believing coping strategies were effective, and resolving the problem before therapy was needed. The likelihood of seeking personal treatment in the future as well as reasons for doing so are discussed.

In this replication and extension of a national survey of psychotherapists conducted in 1987, American psychologists (n ϭ 219), counselors (n ϭ 191), and social workers (n ϭ 192) reported in 2007 on the processes and outcomes of their personal therapy experiences. Of the 85% who sought therapy at least once, women, men, and members of all three professions were equally as likely to have received personal treatment. Their top reasons for seeking therapy were marital-couple distress (20%), depression (13%), need for selfunderstanding (12%), and anxietystress (10%). Approximately 24% used psychotropic medication in combination with personal therapy. More than 90% of therapists reported positive outcomes across multiple domains. The modal lasting lessons from personal treatment related to therapist reliability, skill, and empathy. The results are tentatively compared with those obtained in 1987, thus chronicling the evolution of personal therapy among psychologists and social workers during the past 20 years.

This thesis is composed of three sections: A literature review of trainee therapists' experiences of supervision; a research paper exploring clinical psychologists' experiences of accessing personal therapy during training; and a critical appraisal which considers some of the issues encountered during the research process.

The issue of personal therapy in the training of counsellors and counselling psychologists has long been debated and is still being discussed. Although some people believe that trainees ’ processing of personal issues helps increase their self-understanding, they do not consider it mandatory. Others argue that personal therapy is an integral part of training for future therapists revealing the characters and personalities of those who are fit or unfit to practice this profession. In most European countries a certain number of hours of personal therapy are mandatory to qualify for admission to the profession. In other countries, only certain training programs require it. What are the arguments for or against personal therapy in training? What does research indicate? What is meant by "personal development " and what by “personal therapy”? How is the necessary breadth and depth of "the work with oneself " which is contained in good educational training programs ensu...

Domestic Violence refers to physical aggression, psychological abuse, forced intercourse and other forms of sexual coercion,1 and affects approximately 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men in their lifetimes.1 Women appear to be more adversely affected by male perpetration than men are from female perpetration.2 However, much of the data has been derived from self-report measures. Indeed, Kimmel,3 asserts that methodology is flawed in assessment of gender violence by omitting to mention discrepancies between conflict-motivated aggression and control motivation. Without this distinction, gender symmetry can be assumed.4

The views and feelings of psychotherapists around academic writing were explored using a mixed methods approach. An on-line survey completed by 222 psychotherapists produced both quantitative and qualitative data with the latter being subject to a Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Significant numbers of participants lacked confidence about participating in academic writing. Fear of rejection, not being good enough and not knowing what is required were prominent underlying factors. Current academic writing was viewed as overly intellectual, not focused on clinical practice and the preserve of academics and not practicing therapists. Difficulty in accessing academic material lying behind pay walls was another factor limiting participation in academic writing as well as a lack of formal support. Clinical relevance and clarity of expression were viewed as the key factors of good academic writing. There was overwhelming support for academic writing to be a core skill taught in formal psychoth...

The Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPRISTAD) has launched a multisite collaborative longitudinal study of psychotherapy trainees’ development, a large-scale study involving a number of countries all over the world. In the present article, we present an overview of the early Italian contribution to the SPRISTAD study, based on preliminary paper-and-pencil data collection. Our preliminary findings showed cross-sectional differences at different years of training and two-years longitudinal changes in trainees’ perceived development. Moreover, trainees’ characteristics such as their motivation, relational manner, current life, and personal background have shown to deserve attention in research on trainees’ development. These findings encourage the continuation of the SPRISTAD online data collection.

The aim of this international study is to examine the nature, correlates, and perceived determinants of development among professional psychotherapists from different countries and cultures at all career levels, trained in different professions and theoretical orientations. Psychotherapeutic development was conceptualized and assessed from several perspectives, including concurrent and retrospective reports by therapists and crosssectional and longitudinal analyses of therapists' practices and experiences. This paper presents the main questions guiding the study, defines its core concepts, introduces the survey instrument, describes data collection procedures, and reports descriptive and scale development data from a multinational da ta base of nearly 3800 therapists. Analyses provide evidence for the reliability and validity of direct and indirect measures of retrospected career development and currently experienced development, and their applicability to diverse groups of psychotherapists.

The aim of this international study is to examine the nature, correlates, and perceived determinants of development among professional psychotherapists from different countries and cultures at all career levels, trained in different professions and theoretical orientations. Psychotherapeutic development was conceptualized and assessed from several perspectives, including concurrent and retrospective reports by therapists and crosssectional and longitudinal analyses of therapists' practices and experiences. This paper presents the main questions guiding the study, defines its core concepts, introduces the survey instrument, describes data collection procedures, and reports descriptive and scale development data from a multinational da ta base of nearly 3800 therapists. Analyses provide evidence for the reliability and validity of direct and indirect measures of retrospected career development and currently experienced development, and their applicability to diverse groups of psychotherapists.

This study examined psychotherapists' experiences in conducting treatment with fellow mental health professionals. 349 psychologists (35% response) rated the extent to which their therapeutic approach with psychotherapists differed from their approach with laypersons of comparable intelligence, socioeconomic status, and diagnosis. Respondents also provided recommendations for conducting effective treatment with this elite clientele. Psychologists indicated that their practices with fellow psychotherapists were in most respects similar to those used with laypersons; 55 of the 78 items were rated of equivalent frequency. Practitioners' self-characterization as “a therapists' therapist” was related to the manner in which they treated mental health professionals. Broadly speaking, two types of advice were offered: to cultivate a warm and collaborative therapeutic relationship and to maintain proper boundaries. Recommendations for clinical work and future research on psychotherapists' psychotherapy are advanced.

The authors examined the attitudes and reasons of 119 American psychologists, counselors, and clinical social workers who had never sought personal therapy. Nontherapy seekers, compared to therapy seekers, expressed less-positive attitudes toward its value as a prerequisite for clinical work and for ongoing professional development. Women, men, and members of all three professions were equally likely to have sought therapy, but cognitive-behavioral therapists and academics were significantly less likely to do so. Top reasons for not undergoing personal therapy entailed dealing with stress in other ways, receiving sufficient support from friends and family, believing coping strategies were effective, and resolving the problem before therapy was needed. The likelihood of seeking personal treatment in the future as well as reasons for doing so are discussed.

Objective: The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about how the integration of personal and professional experiences affects therapeutic work. Method: Therapists (N=14) who had been recommended by their leaders at their individual workplaces were interviewed twice with semi-structured qualitative interviews, which were then subjected to thematic and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: All the therapists in the sample described their personal qualities as an experienced tension between their personal strengths and vulnerabilities in the therapeutic setting. This tension came to expression through four subordinate themes: (a) The tension between perceiving oneself as a helper while dealing with one's own needs for attention and care; (b) The tension between the ability for embodied listening to the patient while tuning into oneself; (c) The tension between staying present while handling aggression and rejection from clients; and (d) The tension in striving for a constructive balance between closeness and distance. Conclusion: The results point to ways in which the personal selves of the therapists may affect their professional role-performance. Drawing upon previous research and literature on the topic, the paper discusses how therapists' personal qualities are experienced as affecting their work and suggests several implications for psychotherapy training and practice.

Many counsellors/psychotherapists working with victims of domestic violence (DV) encounter substance use disorders (SUDs), whether directly or indirectly, and yet an understanding of how to address these co-occurring issues in practice appears lacking. A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews and IPA captured the individual experiences and perceptions of 6 female BACP registered counsellors/ psychotherapists who counsel victims of DV based in DV 'specific' organisations. Four super-ordinate themes emerged and included a 'feminist perspective', 'addiction: symptom of trauma', 'skills development in substance misuse' and 'feelings of exclusion in the workplace'. This study offers an initial understanding of how DV counsellors view SUDs and the impact this had in their practice. It further provided insight into how supported and involved they felt in their workplace when counselling this group. These findings are discussed in terms of strategy development and training aimed at improving the experience of counsellors/psychotherapists working in DV counselling organisations when they encounter SUDs in order to support counsellors and service-users well-being.

Mandatory personal therapy has become a practice in many counseling programs across the world. It is aimed, among other rationales, for the trainees’ personal development, professional development, and for the trainees to be in the clients’ seat. How do the counseling students view mandatory personal therapy? Will they voluntarily continue personal therapy after the mandatory experience? This study, therefore, attempted to answer these questions by investigating the perception of postgraduate counseling students about mandatory personal therapy and its continuity after mandatory experience or graduation. The target population was all the 635 postgraduate counseling students at the Nairobi University, Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Daystar University, and Tangaza University College. These universities were selected from the universities training clinical and counseling psychologists using stratified random sampling techniques. The sample size was 255 comprising 245 counseling students, five professional counselors, and five counselor educators. The response rate to the online questionnaire was 66.6% while the response rate of the interviews was 100%. The Quantitative data were descriptively analyzed by frequencies and percentages while the content and thematic analysis were used to analyze the interviews. The findings showed that the majority of the counseling students have a positive perception of mandatory personal therapy as a requirement in their training and that they will continue to make use of personal therapy after the mandatory experience or graduation.

Aim: This study aims to explore if and how values and attitudes from trainees of different psychotherapeutic schools vary during training. Another aim has been to evaluate the extent of their therapeutic selfconfidence during training. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 171 trainees in German institutes with different theoretical orientations (Psychoanalysis -PA, Psychodynamic Therapy -PT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy -CBT) participated. Results are reported for two questionnaires: Therapeutic-Attitudes-Candidate-Version (ThAT-CV) and Work-Involvement-Scales (WIS). Results: Therapeutic attitudes showed significant differences between trainees with different theoretical orientations but no significant difference between different levels of training within the same school. Whereas the PA and CBT trainees endorsed contrasting attitude profiles, the PT group displayed less differentiated attitudes in between those contrasts. Most trainees experienced their psychotherapeutic practice as challenging, and Stressful Involvement in therapy sessions was lower with more years in training. Female trainees reported more Healing Involvement and felt more competent in general than their male colleagues. Self-reported competence was higher the more congruent the trainees' attitudes with their school's theoretical orientation. Conclusions: The ThAT-CV discriminates significantly between trainees of different therapeutic schools. Our sample demonstrates high identification with attitudes belonging to their theoretical orientation. This may account for high ratings of self-reported therapeutic competence. Attitudes seem to be formed before training and change little thereafter. Less differentiated attitudes may explain PT-trainees' higher levels of Stressful Involvement.

The aim of this international study is to examine the nature, correlates, and perceived determinants of development among professional psychotherapists from different countries and cultures at all career levels, trained in different professions and theoretical orientations. Psychotherapeutic development was conceptualized and assessed from several perspectives, including concurrent and retrospective reports by therapists and crosssectional and longitudinal analyses of therapists' practices and experiences. This paper presents the main questions guiding the study, defines its core concepts, introduces the survey instrument, describes data collection procedures, and reports descriptive and scale development data from a multinational da ta base of nearly 3800 therapists. Analyses provide evidence for the reliability and validity of direct and indirect measures of retrospected career development and currently experienced development, and their applicability to diverse groups of psychotherapists.

This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: Abstract This study investigated family therapists' experiences of personal therapeutic consultations during their training and how this related to personal and professional development (PPD). Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse one semi-structured interview with each of four participants. Results: The consultations provided a unique and powerful learning opportunity, including learning about the interactional elements of family therapy, therapeutic relationship factors and relational roles. The consultations also affected the lives of family members who attended, and in some cases, those who did not. The results raise several ethical considerations including, confusion about the boundary between the therapeutic consultations and family therapy, preparedness, and considerations about what we are asking of our families. It is argued that this is a valuable learning opportunity and should be repeated as long as attention is paid to the ethical points highlighted. Practitioner points  Family therapy trainees' participation in personal therapeutic consultations with members of the trainee's own family may have a powerful effect on their learning and subsequent family therapy practice.  Training institutions and future trainees should be aware of the affect that personal therapeutic consultations can have on relationships.