Thomas M. Skovholt

The Journey of the Counselor and Therapist: Research Findings and Perspectives on Professional Development:

This article summarizes a reformulation of the main findings and perspectives from a cross-sectional and longitudinal qualitative study of the development of 100 counselors and therapists. The results are presented as a phase model and as a formulation of 14 themes of counselor/therapist development. The following six phases are described: The phases of the lay helper, the beginning student, the advanced student, the novice professional, the experienced professional, and the senior professional. The themes describe central processes of counselor/therapist development. The themes are addressing different issues such as shifts in attentional focus and emotional functioning, the importance of continuous reflection for professional growth, and a life-long personal/profession integration process. Sources of influence for professional functioning and development are described. The results show consistently that interpersonal experiences in the personal life domain (early family life and adult personal life) and the professional life domain (interacting with clients, professional elders, and peers) are significant sources of influence for professional development.

The cognitive, emotional, and relational characteristics of master therapists.

Cognitive, emotional, and relational characteristics among 10 peer-nominated master therapists were identified through qualitative research methods. Results suggest that master therapists (a) are voracious learners; (b) draw heavily on accumulated experiences; (c) value cognitive complexity and ambiguity; (d) are emotionally receptive; (e) are mentally healthy and mature and attend to their own emotional well-being; (f) are aware of how their emotional health impacts their work; (g) possess strong relationship skills; (h) believe in the working alliance; and (i) are experts at using their exceptional relational skills in therapy. These findings suggest that researchers studying therapist expertise may want to explore emotional and relational characteristics in addition to an almost exclusive focus on the therapists cognitive attributes.Dedication. List of Tables and Figures. Foreword. Preface. Searching for Mastery. 1. A Brief History of Expertise. 2. Expertise in Therapy and Counseling. 3. The Cognitive, Emotional, and Relational Characteristics of Master Therapists. 4. Master Therapists Construction of the Therapy Relationship. 5. Emotional Wellness and Professional Resiliency of Master Therapists. 6. Ethical Values of Master Therapists. 7. Portrait of the Master Therapist: The Highly Functioning Self. 8. Qualitative Research Methodologies. Respondents: Sample Selection. Jennings and Skovholts Methodology (Chapter 3). Sullivan, Skovholt, and Jenningss Methodology (Chapter 4). Mullenbach and Skovholts Methodology (Chapter 5). Jennings, Sovereign, Bottorff, and Mussells Methodology (Chapter 6). Appendix A. Interview with Master Therapist #1 (Len Jennings). Interview with Master Therapist #2 (Michael Sullivan). Interview with Master Therapist #3 (Mary Mullenbach). Index.

Struggles of the Novice Counselor and Therapist

The novice journey can be arduous. This article draws from empirical and conceptual literature on counselor and therapist development to describe seven stressors of the novice practitioner. The ambiguity of professional work is the major catalyst for novice stress. The elements are: acute performance anxiety, the illuminated scrutiny of professional gatekeepers, porous or rigid emotional boundaries, the fragile and incomplete practitioner-self, inadequate conceptual maps, glamorized expectations, and an acute need for positive mentors.

Dual-relationship dilemmas of rural and small-community psychologists

Sixteen licensed psychologists who lived and practiced in rural areas and small communities participated in interviews about ethical dilemmas they faced in daily practice. Dilemmas involving professional boundaries were identified as significant concerns for all of the psychologists. Major themes were the reality of overlapping social relationships, the reality of overlapping business relationships, the effects of overlapping relationships on members of the psychologists own family, and the dilemmas of working with more than 1 family member as clients or with others who have friendships with individual clients. The psychologists knew the content of ethical codes but often struggled in choosing how to apply those codes in the best interest of clients. Ongoing discussions regarding these choices can contribute to the evolution of practice codes applicable to rural areas and other small communities.

Searching for Expertise in Counseling, Psychotherapy, and Professional Psychology

The expertise literature within cognitive science has provided a rich series of ideas which can be used to improve applied practice. The authors of the articles in this special issue have taken many of these ideas and made useful elaborations and extensions. In reaction to the articles, we suggest five blocks to a full utilization of the expertise literature and other constructs in practitioner development. These blocks are: (a) the need to go beyond the cognitive realm to the working alliance for the fundamental construct in the domain; (b) the need to realize that the novice-to-expert path takes a long time—perhaps 15 years—to travel; (c) the inappropriate use of a short experience differential in comparative studies of novices and experts; (d) the importance of reflection for development; and (e) the need for professors, in order to be experts, to also be practitioners in the domain.

Multiple Factors in the Development of the Expert Counselor and Therapist

Expertise in counseling and therapy is both desirable and elusive. Increasing our knowledge about expertise in counseling and therapy enhances understanding of the role it plays in our profession. This understanding has the potential to improve the training of counselors and therapists. Yet expertise in counseling and therapy appears to be a multifaceted and dynamic concept needing further definition and description. In this article, we outline challenges faced trying to describe expertise in counseling and therapy and present research-based factors that contribute to developing expertise in counseling and therapy. Important factors include: experience, personal characteristics of the counselor and therapist, cultural competence, and comfort with ambiguity.

Learning Arenas for Professional Development: Retrospective Accounts of Senior Psychotherapists

What can senior practitioners teach other practitioners about learning arenas for professional development? Four primary learning arenas were identified after a qualitative inquiry of 12 psychotherapists, averaging 74 years in age. The 4 learning arenas are early life experience, cumulative professional experience, interaction with professional elders, and experiences in adult personal life. The results indicate that profound experiences in any of these primary arenas can radically affect the professional work of the practitioner. To develop optimally, the practitioner needs to continually process and reflect on experiences in both personal and professional life domains.

Counseling needs of students and evaluation of counseling services at a large urban university in Turkey

This two-stage research project began with a survey designed to learn about the counseling needs of Middle East Technical University students (METU). Specifically, 599 students were surveyed with the Students Needs Assessment Survey. The results showed significant differences in counseling needs of students with respect to GPA, gender and age. However no significant differences were found with respect to college. Qualitative research, intended to examine the perspectives of the METU counseling staff about the counseling needs of the students and current counseling services provided at METU, followed the initial survey. Counseling staff members were interviewed to obtain information about their perspectives about the counseling needs of the students and counseling services provided. The results of the interviews revealed that students with different needs use different counseling services. The results also provided a descriptive profile of the current counseling services and pointed out to the necessary changes that should be accomplished for improving current counseling services.

The resilient practitioner: Burnout prevention and self-care strategies for counselors, therapists, teachers, and health professionals, second edition

Preface. 1.Caring for Others vs. Self-Preservation: The Great Human Drama. 2.Joys, Rewards, and Gifts of Practice. 3.The Caring Cycle as the Practice Essential. 4.The Long, Textured Path from Novice to Senior Practitioner. 5.The Elevated Stressors of the Novice Practitioner. 6.Hazards of Practice. 7.Burnout: A Hemorrhaging of the Self. 8.Codependency: An Idea That Illuminates or Clouds? 9.Balancing Caring for Others/Caring for Self. 10.Sustaining the Professional Self. 11.Sustaining the Personal Self. 12.Burnout Prevention and Self-Care Strategies of Expert Practitioners. 13.Epilogue. 14.Self-Care Action Plan. References.

Psychotherapy expertise in Singapore: A qualitative investigation

Abstract Personal characteristics, developmental influences, and therapy practices of nine peer-nominated expert psychotherapists practicing in the diverse country of Singapore were identified using qualitative methods. Sixteen themes were organized within four categories: (a) personal characteristics (empathic, nonjudgmental, respectful); (b) developmental influences (experience, self-awareness, humility, self-doubt); (c) approach to practice (balance between support and challenge, flexible therapeutic stance, empowerment/strength-based approach, primacy of the therapeutic alliance, comfortable addressing spirituality, embraces working within a multicultural context); and (d) ongoing professional growth (professional development practices, benefits of teaching/training others, challenges to professional development in Singapore). Cross-cultural comparisons between this study and Jennings and Skovholts (1999) study of Minnesota expert psychotherapists found considerable overlap of themes. Implications for research and practice of psychotherapy are offered.