Personal therapeutic approach in Gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptoms
Treatment specificity and adherence to treatment manuals represent essential components of the medical model in psychotherapy. The model assumes that psychotherapists who work with the same type of clients and who identify with the same theoretical approach work very similarly. This study illustrate...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
PAGEPress Publications
2021-12-01
|
| Series: | Research in Psychotherapy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.researchinpsychotherapy.org/index.php/rpsy/article/view/535 |
| _version_ | 1818890379708071936 |
|---|---|
| author | Jan Roubal Roman Hytych Michal Čevelíček Tomáš Řiháček |
| author_facet | Jan Roubal Roman Hytych Michal Čevelíček Tomáš Řiháček |
| author_sort | Jan Roubal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Treatment specificity and adherence to treatment manuals represent essential components of the medical model in psychotherapy. The model assumes that psychotherapists who work with the same type of clients and who identify with the same theoretical approach work very similarly. This study illustrates the shortcomings of that assumption and explores how therapists’ individuality forms and shapes their unique approaches that resonate with their own personalities, inclinations, and worldviews. Semi-structured interviews with eight Gestalt therapists working with clients who experienced medically unexplained physical symptoms were analysed using the grounded theory method. Considerable differences were found among the therapists within four domains of the personal therapeutic approach, namely Case Conceptualization, Therapeutic Task, Therapist’s Position, and Alternative Strategy. However, regardless of the differences, all the therapists endeavoured, either implicitly or explicitly, to convey to the clients what they considered to be healthy functioning. There is considerable diversity in the way therapists work even when they subscribe to the same psychotherapeutic approach and work with the same type of clients. The exploration of psychotherapists’ usual strategies, as well as the alternative strategies they use when their usual strategies do not work, appears helpful for capturing their personal therapeutic approaches. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T17:23:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e8303bc5a0274703a44e40efa9e9763b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2499-7552 2239-8031 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T17:23:59Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | PAGEPress Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Research in Psychotherapy |
| spelling | doaj.art-e8303bc5a0274703a44e40efa9e9763b2022-12-21T20:12:37ZengPAGEPress PublicationsResearch in Psychotherapy2499-75522239-80312021-12-0124310.4081/ripppo.2021.535Personal therapeutic approach in Gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptomsJan Roubal0Roman Hytych1Michal Čevelíček2Tomáš Řiháček3Department of Psychology, Masaryk University, BrnoDepartment of Psychology, Masaryk University, BrnoDepartment of Psychology, Masaryk University, BrnoDepartment of Psychology, Masaryk University, BrnoTreatment specificity and adherence to treatment manuals represent essential components of the medical model in psychotherapy. The model assumes that psychotherapists who work with the same type of clients and who identify with the same theoretical approach work very similarly. This study illustrates the shortcomings of that assumption and explores how therapists’ individuality forms and shapes their unique approaches that resonate with their own personalities, inclinations, and worldviews. Semi-structured interviews with eight Gestalt therapists working with clients who experienced medically unexplained physical symptoms were analysed using the grounded theory method. Considerable differences were found among the therapists within four domains of the personal therapeutic approach, namely Case Conceptualization, Therapeutic Task, Therapist’s Position, and Alternative Strategy. However, regardless of the differences, all the therapists endeavoured, either implicitly or explicitly, to convey to the clients what they considered to be healthy functioning. There is considerable diversity in the way therapists work even when they subscribe to the same psychotherapeutic approach and work with the same type of clients. The exploration of psychotherapists’ usual strategies, as well as the alternative strategies they use when their usual strategies do not work, appears helpful for capturing their personal therapeutic approaches.https://www.researchinpsychotherapy.org/index.php/rpsy/article/view/535Personal therapeutic approach; medically unexplained physical symptoms; Gestalt therapy; grounded theory method; therapeutic strategy |
| spellingShingle | Jan Roubal Roman Hytych Michal Čevelíček Tomáš Řiháček Personal therapeutic approach in Gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptoms Research in Psychotherapy Personal therapeutic approach; medically unexplained physical symptoms; Gestalt therapy; grounded theory method; therapeutic strategy |
| title | Personal therapeutic approach in Gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptoms |
| title_full | Personal therapeutic approach in Gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptoms |
| title_fullStr | Personal therapeutic approach in Gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptoms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Personal therapeutic approach in Gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptoms |
| title_short | Personal therapeutic approach in Gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptoms |
| title_sort | personal therapeutic approach in gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptoms |
| topic | Personal therapeutic approach; medically unexplained physical symptoms; Gestalt therapy; grounded theory method; therapeutic strategy |
| url | https://www.researchinpsychotherapy.org/index.php/rpsy/article/view/535 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT janroubal personaltherapeuticapproachingestalttherapistsworkingwithclientssufferingfrommedicallyunexplainedpsychosomaticsymptoms AT romanhytych personaltherapeuticapproachingestalttherapistsworkingwithclientssufferingfrommedicallyunexplainedpsychosomaticsymptoms AT michalcevelicek personaltherapeuticapproachingestalttherapistsworkingwithclientssufferingfrommedicallyunexplainedpsychosomaticsymptoms AT tomasrihacek personaltherapeuticapproachingestalttherapistsworkingwithclientssufferingfrommedicallyunexplainedpsychosomaticsymptoms |