On learning from experience: personal and private experiences as the context for psychotherapeutic practice

The central idea in evidence-based practice is that it is the therapy that works and not the therapist. However, this article seeks to show how both our private and personal lives are an area for reflection when we are working as psychotherapists, and that personal and private experience can be an important framework for practising psychotherapy. Through looking at elements of the personal and private lives of three different therapists in the light of a therapy session conducted by each, I will try to demonstrate how personal and private experiences may influence clinical practice. The article builds on an ongoing grounded theory research project at the Tavistock Centre, London.