Translating Post‐Training Knowledge into Psychotherapy Practice: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Therapists' Accounts Following ISTDP and SE Training

Background Although therapists value formal continuing education, little is known about how it translates into clinical practice. Aim This study addresses this gap by examining how therapists translate knowledge from intensive postgraduate training in Intensive Short‐Term Dynamic Psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing into practice. Method We conducted semi‐structured interviews ( n = 15) within a critical realist qualitative design. We analysed participants' accounts using reflexive thematic analysis, guided theoretically by sensitising concepts from the revised version of Eraut's performance model, to examine how therapists described applying acquired knowledge in sessions. Results Findings identified six themes describing a cyclical translation process, including readiness to apply new principles, reframing the therapeutic encounter, contextualised use of interventions and monitoring of client responses. Therapists described new ways of interpreting clinical situations, alongside introducing interventions and techniques. Discussion Participants associated continued application with metacognitive monitoring and evaluation of client responsiveness. Application involved clinical judgement about when and with whom to use new approaches, informed by model‐related interpretations and experience‐based assessments. Conclusion Within these accounts, knowledge translation emerged as a complex, individualised process involving metacognitive awareness and continuous adaptation. The model also offers a structured framework for describing self‐reported performance changes. Findings are discussed in relation to training and context‐sensitive application.