Finding a Balance Between Being Professional and Being Personal. Experiences of Seven Psychotherapists.

Attachment theorists have highlighted the role of the therapist in providing a ‘secure base’ for therapy. This raises the question of how therapists with insecure as well as secure attachment styles manage the integration of their personal experience and their therapeutic work. This study explored the relationship between family therapists’ adult attachment styles, influences on their career choice and their approach to therapy. Participants’ (n = 11) attachment styles were previously assessed using the self-report Experiences in Close Relationship questionnaire. Three participants were assessed as having a ‘secure’ attachment style; three were ‘preoccupied’, three ‘fearful’ and two ‘dismissing’. They were interviewed about their practice and the impact of past or current relationships on their development as therapists. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the verbatim accounts into cluster of master themes and subthemes. The analysis identified two master themes: understanding one’s self and the impact of family of origin experiences, and the integration between personal experiences and therapeutic work. There were differences in responses relating to the therapists’ attachment styles. Therapists with ‘secure’ adult attachment styles were aware of their challenges and able to utilise their experiences in their practice and respond sensitively to their clients. Conversely, those with ‘insecure’ styles have difficulties in mentalisation and in using counter-transference responses in their practice. We suggest that family therapists, social workers and others engaged in therapeutic work with families should undertake an exploration of the ‘self’ of the therapist in the context of their own family relationships and adult attachment styles as part of their training and continuing professional development.

Aim: The aim of the research was to explore the under‐researched area of therapists' personal bereavement and its impact upon their therapeutic practice. Method: Data were collected via semi‐structured interviews with four humanistic therapists and were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings: Four master and eight subordinate themes emerged from the rich data collected that exemplified both convergence with and divergence from the small body of extant literature on therapist bereavement and current thinking in thanatology. The findings suggest that bereavement is a unique experience that can affect the individual's personal and social identity and worldview. It can also be a transformative experience resulting in personal growth and a renewed sense of self and agency. In terms of professional practice, the findings suggest that the lived experience of the grieving process, mediated by supportive supervision, enabled participants to experience deeper levels of empathy and connectedness within their therapeutic relationships. Conclusion and implications: Bereavement is an experience that can profoundly impact upon therapists' personal identity and assumptive world. Such an experience can have an equally profound impact upon their therapeutic practice. There are therefore implications for students, trainers, therapists and supervisors particularly in terms of self‐care and the use of the ‘self’ in therapy. Further research needs to be undertaken in order to explore in greater depth the intersection between personal bereavement and therapists' evolving personal and professional identity development.

AimThe aim of this study was to discover whether menopausal symptoms have implications for counsellors in their therapeutic work.MethodSemi‐structured interviews were conducted with three counsellors who have experienced menopausal symptoms. The menopause is a unique experience for the individual. Interpretative phenomenological analysis therefore allowed for a detailed exploration of the participants' experiences.FindingsFour superordinate themes were identified: transitioning personal and professional identity during menopause; limited dialogue about the menopause; ethical dilemmas of practising as a counsellor when menopausal; and the influence of menopausal symptoms during client work. The findings demonstrated that participants each had very personal and individual experiences of the menopause. A lack of knowledge and understanding of the menopause and limited dialogue within society to discuss symptoms was also reflected in the counselling profession. The capacity to continue working therapeutically presented potential ethical dilemmas which were affected by menopausal symptoms.ConclusionCounsellors' experiences of menopausal symptoms may create challenges in their therapeutic work, ranging from a mild distraction, a disconnection with a client, to having to cease engaging with client work. Implications for therapeutic practice are discussed.

BackgroundContinuing Professional Development (CPD) is vital for maintaining healthcare professionals’ competence in providing quality patient care. However, evidence linking CPD directly to patient outcomes remains limited and methodologically diverse, hindering generalizable conclusions. This scoping review synthesises available evidence on the impact of CPD participation on patient outcomes, identifies patterns in intervention design and outcome measures, and explores key implementation and contextual factors that influence CPD effectiveness.MethodsIn September 2024 PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and ERIC were searched for studies that assessed the impact of CPD interventions on patient health outcomes in healthcare settings. Two reviewers independently screened the articles for eligibility and charted the data. Findings were synthesized using a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative summary and qualitative content analysis.ResultsOf 1562 records screened, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the articles (n = 16) originated from high-income countries. Multi-component CPD interventions, particularly those with sustained support and practical skills development, demonstrated greater effectiveness than standalone educational activities. Positive patient outcomes were reported in 14 studies, including reduced hypoglycemic events, and shorter ICU stays. The most impactful interventions were those implemented with organizational support, clear protocols, and ongoing reinforcement. Nevertheless, the evidence base was constrained by variations in outcome measures (e.g., mortality rates, complication rates, functional scores), and short follow-up durations.ConclusionsDespite CPD’s prominence in healthcare systems, only a few studies directly evaluate it to improved patient outcomes. This review highlights that CPD programs incorporating practical skill development, protocol-based implementation, organizational support, and ongoing reinforcement can enhance patient care. Future research should adopt rigorous methodologies, consistent outcome measures, and long-term follow-up to better evaluate CPD’s effectiveness. Additionally, CPD providers should prioritize integrated approaches between theoretical knowledge, applied practice, and continuous support mechanisms to maximize clinical impact.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-07883-4.

Background:Financial inequalities appear to be increasing and poverty is becoming ubiquitous. Poverty affects mental health but its impact on mental health and wellbeing is rarely highlighted within health research.Aims:The Covid-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian invasion and other international and national events have led to a cost-of-living crisis for many people. This is likely to lead to an increase in related referrals and therefore active consideration of the relevant issues relating to poverty appears vital. This paper reports a study which sought to understand how therapists experienced their work with clients who self-refer due to living in poverty.Method:Eight therapists participated in semi-structured interviews analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).Results:Three superordinate themes were elicited: firstly ‘Resilience in the struggle to engage with therapeutic work’, secondly ‘Struggling to promote social activism’ and thirdly, ‘Navigating multiple challenges and barriers’. Each superordinate theme contains two or three sub themes.Conclusions:Issues of structural inequality (including but not limited to poverty) impact significantly on people’s lives but are often ignored or minimised in therapeutic work. It is important that therapists are aware of poverty and take this into account when working with clients.

Pediatric Integrated Specialty Care (PISC), where children receive treatment for complex health conditions alongside behavioral health support, is an emerging area of clinical practice and professional training. Medical family therapists (MedFTs) contribute uniquely in these settings by integrating medical and psychosocial dimensions of care. This study explored the experiences of marriage and family therapy (MFT) trainees and professionals (n = 8) working in PISC through interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Findings revealed seven themes illustrating challenges and opportunities in role negotiation, professional identity formation, and competency-based growth within high-acuity pediatric environments. Participants emphasized systemic skills, relational presence, communication, adaptability, and patience as central to effective collaboration in interdisciplinary teams. Their reflections underscored the importance of experiential learning, supervision, and advanced coursework in medical literacy to strengthen preparedness for PISC practice. Implications are discussed surrounding the integration of national interprofessional competencies to align MedFT education with the unique demands of pediatric specialty care.

Teacher agency in professional development programmes – A case study of professional development material and collegial discussion

In this paper, we discuss a set of procedures for the visualization of conversation data, based on machine learning and text mining algorithms. The methodological function of these visualization methods is to support (rather than substitute) humanistic and interpretive qualitative data analysis. The context of our methodological discussion is the study of teachers’ learning communities. Enabling collegial learning among teachers has been argued to play a pivotal role in both teachers’ professional development and students’ learning. The problem is that the interpretive study of collegial discussions among teachers, which are typically considered a fruitful context for the study of teachers' collegial learning, is both time-consuming and cognitively demanding. Several scholars have discussed the potential of including machine learning and text mining in the toolbox of qualitative data analysis as a way to analyze large qualitative data sets and solve the time demand problem. However, the literature discussing the use of machine learning and text mining for qualitative research typically conceives the algorithms as substitutes for the work of the researcher. These automatized approaches are introduced to categorize the data, substituting the researcher in the analysis process. In contrast, we discuss the potential rewards of using automatized methods to support the analysis of teachers’ collegial discussions. We introduce a set of visualization procedures based on semi-supervised topic modeling and supervised classification algorithms and discuss how these visualizations can provide additional elements useful for the analysis of collegial discussions. Whereas these visualizations do not substitute interpretive analysis, we argue that they can support researchers’ interpretations by reducing data, identifying patterns of interactions, and possibly, visualizing group-level learning.

Secondary traumatic stress (STS), or experiencing trauma through exposure to clients’ traumatic stories, occurs across helping professions. No studies have focused solely on STS in Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs). In a sample of MFTs (N = 201), this study hypothesized that exposure to trauma through therapeutic work would be associated with STS and MFTs’ intentions to leave their job. Findings indicated trauma exposure was positively associated with STS (β = .33, p < .001) and intention to leave (β = .18, p < .001). STS partially mediated the association between MFTs’ exposure to trauma in their work and intention to leave (β = .06, p < .05). Compassion satisfaction (β = −.49, p < .001) and organizational commitment to resilience building (β = −.26, p < .001) were negatively associated with intention to leave. The final model accounted for 58% of the variance in intention to leave. Prevention implications are discussed.

Abstracts

This article proposes a research methodology that is newer to the field of couple and family therapy (CFT) research called interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Researchers exploring CFT research continue to establish the efficacy of couple and family interventions in a context that favors a positivist view of phenomena. This research continues to be critical for establishing the role of CFT in the field of mental health as well as further clarifying which interventions are best for specific clinical issues and when. IPA offers researchers the opportunity to explore how couples and families make meaning of their experiences from an intersubjective perspective. Meaning making is central to understanding couples and families as well as part of the many clinical approaches to working with couples and families. Despite the importance of meaning, few research methodologies allow for this central concept in CFT to be the focus of exploration. The following article outlines one such methodology and the possible use of IPA in CFT research.

Within literature regarding Personal Professional Development (PPD) in Clinical Psychology training, personal and professional development are largely conceptualised as separate processes. Yet models of reflective practice would suggest that an awareness of the personal self is necessary for effective clinical work. This study explored newly qualified Clinical Psychologists’ (CPs) experiences of PPD, and in particular their identities, during their clinical psychology doctoral training. The main research question was ‘How do newly qualified CPs experience their personal and professional identities during doctoral training?’ Seven newly qualified CPs were interviewed regarding their experiences of their personal and professional identities during training. A qualitative research design was employed and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data. Three superordinate themes were identified: Enhancing awareness of self and others; Taking risks and managing uncertainty; Developing self-acceptance. Within these results there was a strong message of an inextricable link between personal and professional identities. Enhancing awareness of self was understood as a personal process within PPD and an important aspect of reflective practice, thus it is proposed that PPD is an effective tool for training reflective practitioners. Within PPD, learning to manage uncertainty and take risks within relationships was seen to contribute to reflective practice, as CPs may be more able to attend to process issues within the therapeutic context. Furthermore, greater self-awareness seemed to help trainees find a balance between self-development and self-acceptance. Maintaining a stable and accepting sense of self may contribute to a CP’s professional development and personal wellbeing.

Backgrounds/aims:Counselling psychologists’ experiences of the death of a terminally ill client are substantially under-researched even though they are well positioned to work in this area and previous literature indicates that this might be an important area. The present study has aimed to explore how counselling psychologists make sense of their lived experiences of client death. Two subsidiary aims were to explore what drew counselling psychologists to work with terminally ill clients, and to explore their experiences in terms of personal and professional growth.Method:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven counselling psychologists who had experienced the death of a terminally ill client. Their accounts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a qualitative methodology that attempts to illuminate the lived experience of a phenomenon among a small sample of individuals.Findings:Three main superordinate themes emerged from the data: (1) Working within the dying space (working when the client outcome is death); (2) Heightened emotional arousal (the raw emotions of working with the existential crisis of death); and (3) Dynamics between professional and personal identity (conflicting aspects of the two identities).Discussion:This study suggests that counselling psychologists experienced challenges in the complex dynamics between their personal and professional identities, such as ethical dilemmas about whether to attend a funeral and how to set boundaries. Future research could usefully investigate intrinsic motivation to work in this field to support the recruiting of counselling psychologists to work in this area.

This qualitative study explores infant‐family mental health experts' perspectives and experiences regarding the inclusion of infants in the family therapy setting. Infant socioemotional development is relational in nature and evolves in the context of both dyadic attachment relationships and broader multi‐person co‐parenting systems. Given this, we sought to understand why family therapy interventions involving families with infants rarely include the infant in a triangular or family systemic approach. Interviews were completed by clinical and/or research experts whose work integrates tenets of both infant mental health (IMH) and family theory and therapy. All interviewees brought at least 5 years of expertise and were actively engaged in the field. Interviewees expressed consistent beliefs that infants have a rightful and helpful place in family therapy approaches. They maintained that infants' innate social drive and communicative capacities position them to make meaningful and clinically significant contributions within family and systemic psychotherapy contexts. Noting that infants have remained on the periphery of these practices, experts advocated expansion and greater integration between IMH and family therapy, while preserving each field's distinctive identity. Experts reported that the interplay between IMH and family therapy fields has been uni‐directional as family systems concepts are embedded within IMH approaches, but few IMH premises are incorporated in mainstream family therapy practices. The disconnect was attributed to multiple factors, including graduate and professional training and theoretical, clinical, research, and sociocultural barriers, which were mutually reinforcing. Experts also identified clinical gains for both infants and family members when infants were meaningfully included in family interventions. Common ground was identified between the disciplines, with a belief that relationally distressed young children and parents are best served by clinical engagement with their network of relationships. Results call for greater collaboration between disciplines to challenge existing traditions and to more fully include infants in mainstream family therapy. Recommendations for integration of family therapy and IMH in clinical, theoretical, research, training, and sociocultural domains are offered.

This study investigated family therapists' experiences of personal therapeutic consultations during their training and how this related to personal and professional development (PPD). Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyse one semi‐structured interview with each of four participants. Results: The personal consultations provided a unique and powerful learning opportunity, including learning about the interactional elements of family therapy, therapeutic relationship factors and relational roles. The personal consultations also affected the lives of family members who attended, and in some cases, those who did not. The results raise several ethical considerations including, confusion about the boundary between the personal therapeutic consultations and family therapy, preparedness, and considerations about what we are asking of our families. It is argued that this is a valuable learning, training and PPD opportunity and should be repeated as long as attention is paid to the ethical points highlighted.Practitioner points Trainees' participation in personal therapeutic consultations with members of their own family may have a powerful effect on their learning and subsequent practice. Training institutions and future trainees should be aware of the affect that personal therapeutic consultations can have on relationships. Training institutions should consider personal therapeutic consultations as a tool for PPD as long as attention is paid to the ethical implications highlighted in this study.