The reported impact of psychotherapy training: Undergraduate disclosures after a course in experiential psychotherapy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore what students considered to be the personal and professional impact of an experientially based psychotherapy training course on their lives. After completing the introductory course, 24 senior undergraduate psychology students provided personal narratives of their experiences, which were then subjected to a grounded theory analysis. The results produced 28 hierarchically organized individual clusters; revealing that over the semester of training, students perceived multiple changes on both a professional level (i.e., skill acquisition and learning related to the therapeutic process) and a personal level (i.e., self-growth in a more private sphere). Analysis also highlighted key areas of difficulty in skills acquisition. Post hoc analyses further demonstrated gender differences in the reported training experiences.

Keywords:

• psychotherapy training
• self-development
• training difficulties
• counseling skills
• qualitative research

Notes

1. Meaning units were not cross-listed in multiple categories at the same level, a modification in method we believe is justified by the relatively large number of independent accounts (cf. Rennie et al., 1988).