Clients' Preferences for Their Therapists' Relational Styles in Psychotherapy: A Consensual Qualitative Research Study

IF 1.2 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Counselling & Psychotherapy Research Pub Date : 2025-01-24 DOI:10.1002/capr.12887

Gina Di Malta, Mick Cooper, Hanne Oddli, Joshua K. Swift, Sarah Knox

{"title":"Clients' Preferences for Their Therapists' Relational Styles in Psychotherapy: A Consensual Qualitative Research Study","authors":"Gina Di Malta, Mick Cooper, Hanne Oddli, Joshua K. Swift, Sarah Knox","doi":"10.1002/capr.12887","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Background</h3>\n \n <p>Accommodating clients' preferences is a cornerstone of evidence-based practice. However, little is known of clients' preferences for their therapists' relational styles.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>We conducted a secondary analysis focused on identifying clients' preferences for their therapists' relational styles, using original data from Cooper et al.'s (2023) consensual qualitative research (CQR) study. Initial data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with a cohort of 13 clients who had completed up to 24 sessions of pluralistic psychotherapy. Of these participants, 10 identified as female and three identified as male.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Findings</h3>\n \n <p>Four themes and six sub-themes emerged: (1) Clients preferred their therapist to be active/not passively disengaged and to provide input, challenge and guidance (<i>n</i> = 10); (2) Clients preferred their therapist to display relatedness, warmth and validation (<i>n</i> = 8); (3) Clients preferred some flexibility, attunement and for their therapist to adapt the therapy to their unique needs (<i>n</i> = 5); (4) Clients preferred to be listened to, having a space to talk and to explore (<i>n</i> = 4).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Implications for Practice</h3>\n \n <p>The themes offer insights that can serve as a foundational framework for future research and contribute to the development of training programmes tailored to enhance counselling psychologists' preference work and relational styles.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":46997,"journal":{"name":"Counselling & Psychotherapy Research","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/capr.12887","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Counselling & Psychotherapy Research","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/capr.12887","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Accommodating clients' preferences is a cornerstone of evidence-based practice. However, little is known of clients' preferences for their therapists' relational styles.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis focused on identifying clients' preferences for their therapists' relational styles, using original data from Cooper et al.'s (2023) consensual qualitative research (CQR) study. Initial data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with a cohort of 13 clients who had completed up to 24 sessions of pluralistic psychotherapy. Of these participants, 10 identified as female and three identified as male.

Findings

Four themes and six sub-themes emerged: (1) Clients preferred their therapist to be active/not passively disengaged and to provide input, challenge and guidance (n = 10); (2) Clients preferred their therapist to display relatedness, warmth and validation (n = 8); (3) Clients preferred some flexibility, attunement and for their therapist to adapt the therapy to their unique needs (n = 5); (4) Clients preferred to be listened to, having a space to talk and to explore (n = 4).

Implications for Practice

The themes offer insights that can serve as a foundational framework for future research and contribute to the development of training programmes tailored to enhance counselling psychologists' preference work and relational styles.

查看原文本刊更多论文

心理治疗中来访者对治疗师关系风格的偏好：一项双方同意的定性研究

适应客户的偏好是循证实践的基石。然而，很少有人知道客户对治疗师的关系风格的偏好。方法我们使用Cooper等人（2023）的共识定性研究（CQR）的原始数据进行了二次分析，重点是确定来访者对治疗师关系风格的偏好。最初的数据收集包括对13名客户进行半结构化访谈，这些客户完成了多达24次的多元心理治疗。在这些参与者中，有10名女性和3名男性。结果显示：(1)来访者倾向于治疗师主动/非被动脱离，提供输入、挑战和指导（n = 10）；(2)来访者更喜欢治疗师表现出亲切感、温暖感和验证感（n = 8）；(3)来访者更喜欢一些灵活性和调性，并希望治疗师根据他们的独特需求调整治疗（n = 5）；(4)客户更喜欢被倾听，有一个交谈和探索的空间（n = 4）。这些主题提供的见解可以作为未来研究的基础框架，并有助于开发量身定制的培训计划，以提高咨询心理学家的偏好工作和关系风格。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

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.