An Autoethnographic Self-Practice and Self-Reflection (SP/SR) Case Study in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Integrating Values, Culture, and Mindfulness in Therapist Development

IF 1.5 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Counselling & Psychotherapy Research Pub Date : 2026-06-24 DOI:10.1002/capr.70177

Carolina Eugenia Cáceres Videla, Yasuhiro Kotera, Richard Bennett

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Self-Practice/Self-Reflection (SP/SR) has increasingly been recognised as a means of fostering therapists' personal and professional development. However, little is known about how mindfulness-based SP/SR may support the cultivation of psychological flexibility (PF)—the capacity to remain open, present and engaged with difficult internal experiences while pursuing valued action—within therapeutic practice.

Method

This single-case autoethnographic study explored the author's experience of engaging in mindfulness-based SP/SR informed by principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The SP/SR process was conducted over 6 months using an ACT SP/SR workbook as a structured framework, supplemented by mindfulness notes, supervision reflections, and pre- and post-AAQ-II reflective entries. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted on these materials, with the AAQ-II used as a structured prompt for experiential and reflexive inquiry rather than as an outcome measure of psychological change. The analytic process followed a values-based reporting framework, with co-authors' feedback used to enhance reflexive rigour.

Results

Three themes were generated: (1) integrating personal values into therapeutic intentions, (2) recognising cultural and relational influences on identity and (3) expanding mindfulness as an embodied stance within clinical and personal contexts. Reflections on the AAQ-II material suggested subtle shifts in PF, which were interpreted qualitatively rather than as evidence of measurable change. These findings are idiographic and illustrate one possible trajectory of SP/SR, offering insight rather than claims of transferability.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that mindfulness-based SP/SR may support therapists' self-awareness, relational understanding and professional grounding. Practical implications include attending to culturally informed values within ACT-based reflection, incorporating compassion- and mindfulness-informed exercises into therapist development, and embedding SP/SR within supervision to foster authenticity and therapeutic presence. Future research involving diverse samples and multi-participant SP/SR designs may further clarify how personal practice influences therapist competencies across cultural contexts.

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接纳与承诺治疗中的自我实践与自我反思（SP/SR）个案研究：在治疗师发展中整合价值观、文化和正念

背景自我实践/自我反思（SP/SR）越来越被认为是促进治疗师个人和专业发展的一种手段。然而，在治疗实践中，基于正念的SP/SR如何支持心理灵活性（PF）的培养——在追求有价值的行动的同时保持开放、在场和参与困难的内部体验的能力——我们知之甚少。方法：本个案研究探讨了作者在接受和承诺治疗（ACT）原则指导下从事基于正念的SP/SR的经验。SP/SR过程使用ACT SP/SR工作簿作为结构化框架进行了6个月，辅以正念笔记，监督反思，以及aaq - ii之前和之后的反思条目。对这些材料进行了反思性主题分析，AAQ-II被用作经验和反思性调查的结构化提示，而不是作为心理变化的结果测量。分析过程遵循基于价值的报告框架，共同作者的反馈用于增强反思的严谨性。结果产生了三个主题：(1)将个人价值观融入治疗意图；(2)认识到文化和关系对身份的影响；(3)在临床和个人背景下扩大正念作为具体立场。对AAQ-II材料的反射表明PF发生了微妙的变化，这些变化被定性地解释，而不是作为可测量变化的证据。这些发现是具体的，说明了SP/SR的一个可能的轨迹，提供了洞察力，而不是声称可转移性。结论以正念为基础的SP/SR可能支持治疗师的自我意识、关系理解和专业基础。实际意义包括在基于act的反思中关注文化信息价值，将同情和正念信息练习纳入治疗师发展中，并在监督中嵌入SP/SR以促进真实性和治疗存在。未来涉及不同样本和多参与者SP/SR设计的研究可能会进一步阐明个人实践如何影响跨文化背景的治疗师能力。

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.