Psychotherapist personal therapy as a pathway towards relationally-oriented practice

Abstract

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 effects from therapist personal therapy on patient outcome, qualitative studies suggest that many practitioners regard personal therapy as highly valuable. The aim of the present study was to explore the meaning of personal therapy in relation to a broader contextual understanding of therapist life experience and practice. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 mid-career therapists, and analysed using a hermeneutic-phenomenologically informed thematic approach. 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 programs. The experience of an accepting and authentic therapy relationship had helped them to become more generous toward others, and more able to set boundaries. Expressing vulnerability in a patient role had made them 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 senistised 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.