Abstract
Background: Psychotherapy is effective, but knowledge about how it produces change is insufficient. Researching how skilled therapists obtain change in naturalistic settings is recommended as a fruitful research strategy to advance this knowledge. Aims: We studied how skilled therapists from various affiliations experience their own contribution in specific therapies, and how they integrate therapeutic techniques. Method: We performed semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with 12 experienced therapists from various affiliations, and analysed transcripts with an explorative and reflexive systematic qualitative approach. Results: We report the overarching theme of maintaining double awareness to provide a relational space for growth, achieved through three concrete themes: (1) tailoring the therapeutic frame to relational struggles, (2) using embodied empathy, and (3) creating meaning from the perspective of a theoretical model. Themes are common across therapeutic modalities. Conclusions: We discuss how the themes offer a relational contextualisation that allows for a constructive understanding of the place of theory and technique in therapy.
Published Version
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