A portfolio of research work, including a thematic analysis of how therapists use their embodied experiences in the therapeutic process.

Abstract

This portfolio presents the research component of my work during my five-year training for the Practitioner Doctorate in Psychotherapeutic and Counselling Psychology at the University of Surrey. It comprises of a literature review and two qualitative research studies. My literature review explores the professional and ethical issues in the therapeutic relationship between clients who meet the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and trainee counselling psychologists. My first qualitative study then follows on from this review. This empirical research, is an Interpretative-Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of trainee counselling psychologists’ lived experience of working therapeutically with clients who meet the DSM-5 criteria for BPD. Lastly, my final research project is a Thematic Analysis (T.A.) of how therapists use their own embodied experiences in the therapeutic process.