title: Self-criticism in therapist training: A grounded theory analysis.
abstract: The primary objective of this study is to engender an understanding of how therapists-in-training experience and cope with self-criticism in the context of their clinical training and therapy experiences.
  
  
  
  In this study, trainees were interviewed about their experience of self-criticism related to psychotherapy practice and these interviews were subjected to a grounded theory analysis generating a core self-critical process.
  
  
  
  The analysis highlighted the vulnerability of self-criticism in therapists' training experiences, especially when they related to balancing the "expert" role while maintaining authentic interactions with their clients. The results also described ways in which self-criticism is mitigated by a sense of interpersonal safety and the provision of clinical freedom and flexibility in therapists' training.
  
  
  
  The implications for future psychotherapy research and clinical training within clinical training environments are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Vanderbilt University , Nashville , TN , USA.
authors.forename: Divya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , University of Massachusetts Boston , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Heidi M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Levitt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D066296:Grounded Theory; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000193:education*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: clinical competencies; psychotherapy training; self-criticism; supervision; therapist training