EVERY THERAPIST NEEDS A THERAPIST: A TENTATIVE THEORY EXPLORING HOW THERAPISTS-IN-TRAINING AND RECENT GRADUATES DECIDE TO ATTEND THERAPY

Abstract

Therapists and mental health professionals have the honor to sit with people through some of their most vulnerable moments, in both joy and pain. Therefore, making the decision to become a therapist is no small feat, nor is the subsequent training that follows. Given the nature of the profession, many therapists and therapists-in-training have sought personal therapy to assist in managing the accompanying emotional and psychological demands. The purpose of the present article is to explore the process that therapists-in-training in marriage and family therapy masters programs go through whilst deciding whether to pursue personal therapy, and how this has impacted their experiences within their program. Researchers and other professionals have been interested in the experiences of therapists as clients and how this has impacted their clinical work. Furthermore, training programs across a variety of disciplines often face the dilemma of whether they should mandate their trainees to participate in personal therapy. Specific factors include: a) perceived support received both within and outside a graduate program; b) adjustment to graduate level study; and c) history of adversity or trauma. Recommendations are made to training programs so they can provide better support to therapists-in-training who hopefully improve the physical and emotional needs of their own clientele.