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How counselling psychologists view their personal therapy
1Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, UK.
The British Journal of Medical Psychology
|January 1, 2000
Summary
Most UK counselling psychologists support personal therapy as a training requirement. While generally positive, therapy outcomes included some negative effects, with distinct factors influencing motivations and learning about therapy itself.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Professional Training
Background:
- Personal therapy is a common component of professional psychology training.
- Understanding psychologists' perspectives on personal therapy is crucial for training program development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate UK chartered counselling psychologists' views on their personal therapy.
- To explore reasons, motivations, outcomes, and processes of personal therapy among trainees.
Main Methods:
- A survey of 192 UK chartered counselling psychologists was conducted.
- 84 respondents completed questionnaires detailing their personal therapy experiences.
- Factor analysis was used to identify distinct components of personal therapy.
Main Results:
- 88% of respondents favored personal therapy as a mandatory training requirement.
- Most rated personal therapy positively, but 27% reported negative effects.
- Three factors emerged: learning about therapy, training issues, and personal issues.
Conclusions:
- Personal therapy is largely viewed favorably by counselling psychologists as a training requirement.
- Motivations for therapy often relate to personal issues, distinct from learning about therapy.
- Extended therapy duration (over 40 sessions) correlated with higher perceived benefits for understanding therapeutic processes.