Psychotherapists' Personal Psychotherapy and Its Perceived Influence on Clinical Practice

This study explored psychotherapists' perceptions of how personal therapy has influenced their clinical practice. Semistructured interviews with 20 experienced psychoanalytically oriented therapists probed areas of the perceived benefits and risks of personal therapy, as well as its influence on (1) their clinical practice and (2) how they perceived the interpersonal relationship with their former therapist. Participants whose personal therapy most influenced their clinical practice were more likely to view their treatment as promoting psychological change, to value their former therapist as a professional role model, and to think about their former treater when they were unsure about what to do in a clinical situation. This group of clinicians was more likely to believe that psychotherapy should focus on the working relationship between patient and therapist. Study findings support the hypothesis that the extent to which the former treater is seen as a positive role model is associated with the degree to which participants thought that addressing problems between themselves and their patients is central to their therapeutic activity.