Frustration, Examination, Appreciation: An Autoethnography of a Psychotherapist’s Work with a Challenging Patient

Abstract

The work of a psychotherapist can be rewarding and very challenging. It can be frustrating when patients are suffering and there are no words to alleviate their pain, or when they begin to take their anger out on you as a therapist. The work of a psychotherapist can be a personal beneficial experience as one examines how one is affected as a professional because of a seemingly difficult and challenging patient. The work of psychotherapy can also bring about a sense of appreciation as psychotherapists learn to appreciate their own delicate individual growth because of a challenging patient.