What's on the therapist's mind? A grounded theory analysis of family therapist reflections during individual therapy sessions.
The authors used a videotape-assisted recall procedure to study the content of family therapists' inner conversations during individual sessions with a standardized client. Grounded theory was used to analyze therapists' reflections, resulting in a taxonomy of 282 different codes in a hierarchical tree structure of six levels, organized into four general domains: attending to client process; processing the client's story; focusing on therapists' own experience; and managing the therapeutic process. In addition to providing a descriptive model of therapists' inner conversation, this research led to an appreciation of the wealth of therapists' inner conversation. In particular, the authors found that therapists work hard to create an intersubjective space within which to talk by trying to be in tune with their clients and by using clients as a guide.
Rober
Peter
P
Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. peter.rober@skynet.be
Elliott
Robert
R
Buysse
Ann
A
Loots
Gerrit
G
De Corte
Kim
K
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001364:Awareness; D003142:Communication; D003379:Countertransference; D004644:Emotions; D005196:Family Therapy; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011582:Psychological Theory; D013850:Thinking; D014743:Videotape Recording