Between personal and professional involvement: A qualitative interview study on insights of novice and experienced therapists in Alliance ruptures.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine therapists' personal involvement in alliance ruptures, considering their level of experience by capturing their subjective perceptions through qualitative interviews.

Method: We conducted 23 interviews, which were subsequently analysed using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; American Psychological Association, 2012). Following that, group differences based on therapeutic experience were examined.

Results: The data analysis revealed a total of five overarching domains: characteristics of the initial therapeutic relationship, emotional reactions, attempts to repair the rupture, involvement in the rupture, and benefits and challenges of supervision, intervision, and personal therapy in managing ruptures. Although therapists generally considered the clients' disturbance as a contribution, 20 therapists also reported their own biographical issues that were triggered during the rupture. Experienced therapists reported biographical triggers more frequently and mentioned self-disclosure more often in dealing with the rupture than novice therapists.

Conclusion: The results of the qualitative study suggest that experienced therapists demonstrate a deeper personal involvement in reflecting on the causes of ruptures and in their efforts to repair them. It appears that experienced therapists have a stronger integration of personal and professional selves, whereas novice therapists tend to keep the two more separate. This should be considered in training and practice by dismantling the sharp divide between professional (supervision) and personal (personal therapy) development.