SPR Collaborative Res Network (Including: UNSPECIFIED). (1999) Psychotherapists' assessments of their development at different career levels. PSYCHOTHERAPY, 36 (3). pp. 203-215. ISSN 0033-3204

Abstract

Experiences of current and career professional development were surveyed for about 3,900 psychotherapists at all career stages in several western countries. Participants included psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health practitioners representing a broad range of theoretical orientations. Measures of experienced development were consistent across professional and demographic categories. As expected, perceived therapeutic mastery increased with increasing years in practice, but currently experienced growth remained at a high and unexpectedly constant level across career cohorts, including the most senior practitioners. Overall findings suggest that therapists experience development simultaneously as a gradually increasing sense of professional expertise and as an ongoing sense of continual improvement, interpreted as essential to maintaining their motivation and morale. Contributions of these aspects of therapist development to process and outcome are discussed.

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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