It is More Crowded Than That: Exploring the Impact of Sibling Experience on the Work of Psychodynamic Practitioners

This article presents the results of a Master's research study into the impact of sibling experiences on psychodynamic practitioners. Interpretative phenomenological analysis offered participating therapists an opportunity to make sense of how their own sibling experiences may have shaped their lives and work and sought to generate wider insights about sibling influence should they emerge. Data was obtained from semi-structured interviews with six psychodynamic practitioners. The research produced three major findings: that siblings do have a significant and enduring impact on the development of the self; that sibling theory and training could do more to explain this; and that the sibling legacy of both therapist and client is present in the consulting room. The article identifies important theoretical insights on how siblings shape our internal worlds and contribute to development. It argues that without understanding their own sibling material, therapists risk missing the importance of siblings in clinical work. To avoid this, training and continuing professional development bodies could give higher priority to sibling theory and clinical understanding, and supervisors and therapists could undertake to increase their own awareness of their own sibling impacts as well as those of their clients.