How Psychotherapists Who Practice With Clients With Dissociative Identity Disorder Experience Their Work: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis

IF 1.2 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Counselling & Psychotherapy Research Pub Date : 2025-01-12 DOI:10.1002/capr.12879

Nicholas A. Pierorazio, Briana L. Snyder, Mu-Yin Chang, Benjamin S. Israel, Bethany L. Brand

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Psychotherapists who treat clients with dissociative identity disorder (DID), a trauma-related condition, have unique experiences and challenges. There is a dearth of literature investigating the experiences and perspectives of therapists who treat clients with DID.

Methodology

We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 DID-treating therapists. We used reflexive thematic analysis, drawing upon constructivist and critical paradigms, to generate an understanding of how these therapists experience, relate to, and make sense of their work with clients with DID.

Analysis

We created four primary themes: (1) ‘Here and Now’: Working in the Present to Facilitate Healing for Clients with DID; (2) ‘I Was Made To Do This’: Finding Meaning in the Calling to Work with Clients with DID; (3) ‘Churning my Stomach Up’: From Holding Trauma and Dissociation to Vicarious Traumatisation; and (4) ‘Pulling Back the Veil’: Working with DID as Social Justice Practice.

Conclusions

We recommend therapists work to leverage their experiences and perspectives in positive ways, such as embracing a here and now stance and what is meaningful about the work, while caring for themselves to manage potential vicarious traumatisation. Supervisors and/or consultants of these therapists must support them in this work.

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心理治疗师如何与患有分离性身份障碍的客户一起实践他们的工作：一个反身性主题分析

心理治疗师治疗患有分离性身份障碍（DID）的客户，这是一种与创伤相关的疾病，有独特的经历和挑战。研究治疗DID患者的治疗师的经验和观点的文献很少。我们对15位did治疗治疗师进行了深入的半结构化访谈。我们使用反身性主题分析，借鉴建构主义和批判范式，来理解这些治疗师如何体验、联系并理解他们与患有DID的客户的工作。我们创建了四个主要主题：(1)“此时此地”：在现在工作以促进患有DID的客户的康复；(2)“我注定要这样做”：在与患有DID的客户一起工作的召唤中找到意义；(3)“翻胃”：从保持创伤和分离到替代创伤；(4)“揭开面纱”：将DID作为社会正义实践。我们建议治疗师以积极的方式利用他们的经验和观点，比如接受此时此地的立场和工作的意义，同时照顾好自己，以管理潜在的间接创伤。这些治疗师的主管和/或顾问必须在这项工作中支持他们。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Counselling & Psychotherapy Research PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL-

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

12.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： Counselling and Psychotherapy Research is an innovative international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to linking research with practice. Pluralist in orientation, the journal recognises the value of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods strategies of inquiry and aims to promote high-quality, ethical research that informs and develops counselling and psychotherapy practice. CPR is a journal of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, promoting reflexive research strongly linked to practice. The journal has its own website: www.cprjournal.com. The aim of this site is to further develop links between counselling and psychotherapy research and practice by offering accessible information about both the specific contents of each issue of CPR, as well as wider developments in counselling and psychotherapy research. The aims are to ensure that research remains relevant to practice, and for practice to continue to inform research development.