Psychotherapist personal therapy as a pathway towards relationally oriented practice

Abstract

Aim

The experience of being a patient has been regarded as one of the principal means through which psychotherapists' skills and personal qualities have been nurtured. While it has been hard to demonstrate the effects of therapist personal therapy on patient outcomes, qualitative studies suggest that many practitioners regard personal therapy as highly valuable. The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of personal therapy in relation to a broader contextual understanding of therapist life experience and practice.

Method

In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 mid-career therapists and analysed using a hermeneutic, phenomenologically informed thematic approach.

Findings

Participants typically reported that they had received therapy prior to entering training in order to address symptoms and/or life problems. In addition, many had been in therapy at later points in their life, as part of training programmes. The experience of an accepting and authentic therapy relationship has helped them to become more generous towards others and more able to set boundaries. Expressing vulnerability in a patient role made them feel safer in prioritising presence with their own patients. They also reflected that their therapist became a useful internalised point of reference and that disappointments in their therapies had sensitised them to what can be hurtful for patients. These themes are examined in relation to findings from analyses of how these therapists interacted with their own patients. Implications are discussed for understanding the contribution of personal therapy to therapist development, and in relation to the conduct of therapy outcome research as a whole.