How Therapists Change:

What motivates therapists towards integration?

Authors

  • Tomáš Řiháček Department of Psychology, Faulty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno Author
  • Ester Danelova Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24377/EJQRP.article2975

Keywords:

Psychotherapy integration, therapist development, personal therapeutic approach, motivation, theoretical orientation

Abstract

Many therapists embrace an integrative perspective in their practice. The aim of this study is to explore what motivates therapists’ development towards integration. To answer this question, 15 integrative therapists’ autobiographic narratives published in Goldfried (2005) were analyzed using grounded theory analytic procedures. The analysis resulted in the description of six motivational categories: Empiricism, Scientific Attitude, Therapeutic Humility, Perceived Inefficacy, Need to Comprehend, and Striving for Congruence. These categories are discussed in relation to previous studies on therapist development and theoretical orientation choice. Generally, the results support the idea that therapists develop their own personal therapeutic approaches which not only reflect recent research findings and demands of the therapeutic situation, but also their own personal needs and desires.

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Author Biographies

  • Tomáš Řiháček, Department of Psychology, Faulty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno

    Dr Tomas Řiháček is a psychologist and psychotherapist, trained in Gestalt therapy. He works as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology, Faulty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, where he teaches courses on qualitative methods and psychotherapy research. His research interests include psychotherapist development, psychotherapy integration, and other topics in psychotherapy research. He also runs a part-time private therapeutic practice.

  • Ester Danelova

    Ester Danelova is a young professional tasting all kinds of work with people. She is involved in psychotherapy research currently focusing on psychotherapist professional development. For several years she has worked as an HR consultant and training designing and driving organizational projects and facilitating change in teams and companies, also having a few private psychotherapy clients. Her dream and mission is to naturally connect the mind of a researcher with hands of a builder and heart of a ‘kid’ in helping people find their way.

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Published

20-09-2018

Issue

Vol. 8 (2018)

Section

Articles

License

The copyright of content in the European Journal for Qualitative Research in Psychotherapy is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the Journal. Journal articles are published as Open Access under a Creative Commons License which allows free download and use of the articles with appropriate attribution (to both the author and European Journal for Qualitative Research in Psychotherapy) for educational and other non-commercial use.

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