The Nature of Client Agency Prior to Therapy: A Qualitative Study on Clients’ Narratives
Client agency is considered a crucial contributor to good treatment outcome. Recent studies, however, differ strongly in how they conceptualise and investigate agency. The current study explores the nature of client agency in ten clients’ pre-treatment interviews. Applying Consensual Qualitative Res...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ubiquity Press
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Psychologica Belgica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.psychologicabelgica.com/articles/1104 |
| _version_ | 1818293529490751488 |
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| author | Emma Acke Melissa Miléna De Smet Kimberly Van Nieuwenhove Reitske Meganck |
| author_facet | Emma Acke Melissa Miléna De Smet Kimberly Van Nieuwenhove Reitske Meganck |
| author_sort | Emma Acke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Client agency is considered a crucial contributor to good treatment outcome. Recent studies, however, differ strongly in how they conceptualise and investigate agency. The current study explores the nature of client agency in ten clients’ pre-treatment interviews. Applying Consensual Qualitative Research, we constructed three overarching categories, subdivided into 14 sub-categories capturing both between- and within-person differences in agency before therapy. We found that all participants oscillated between the experience of a lack of grip on problems on the one hand and noticing their involvement in the problem and taking action on the other. These results present a dynamic conceptualisation of client agency. This allows us to ask pertinent questions for both future research and clinical practice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T03:17:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9d81a4bd5eb94905bf217a0e5df6b6a2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-670X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T03:17:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psychologica Belgica |
| spelling | doaj.art-9d81a4bd5eb94905bf217a0e5df6b6a22022-12-22T00:01:26ZengUbiquity PressPsychologica Belgica2054-670X2022-01-0162110.5334/pb.1104829The Nature of Client Agency Prior to Therapy: A Qualitative Study on Clients’ NarrativesEmma Acke0Melissa Miléna De Smet1Kimberly Van Nieuwenhove2Reitske Meganck3Department of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 GhentDepartment of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 GhentDepartment of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 GhentDepartment of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 GhentClient agency is considered a crucial contributor to good treatment outcome. Recent studies, however, differ strongly in how they conceptualise and investigate agency. The current study explores the nature of client agency in ten clients’ pre-treatment interviews. Applying Consensual Qualitative Research, we constructed three overarching categories, subdivided into 14 sub-categories capturing both between- and within-person differences in agency before therapy. We found that all participants oscillated between the experience of a lack of grip on problems on the one hand and noticing their involvement in the problem and taking action on the other. These results present a dynamic conceptualisation of client agency. This allows us to ask pertinent questions for both future research and clinical practice.https://www.psychologicabelgica.com/articles/1104client characteristicsclient agencyqualitative research methods |
| spellingShingle | Emma Acke Melissa Miléna De Smet Kimberly Van Nieuwenhove Reitske Meganck The Nature of Client Agency Prior to Therapy: A Qualitative Study on Clients’ Narratives Psychologica Belgica client characteristics client agency qualitative research methods |
| title | The Nature of Client Agency Prior to Therapy: A Qualitative Study on Clients’ Narratives |
| title_full | The Nature of Client Agency Prior to Therapy: A Qualitative Study on Clients’ Narratives |
| title_fullStr | The Nature of Client Agency Prior to Therapy: A Qualitative Study on Clients’ Narratives |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Nature of Client Agency Prior to Therapy: A Qualitative Study on Clients’ Narratives |
| title_short | The Nature of Client Agency Prior to Therapy: A Qualitative Study on Clients’ Narratives |
| title_sort | nature of client agency prior to therapy a qualitative study on clients narratives |
| topic | client characteristics client agency qualitative research methods |
| url | https://www.psychologicabelgica.com/articles/1104 |
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