Getting the feel of therapy : understanding therapists' views and experiences regarding social-emotional skills in practice : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
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Date
2016
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Massey University
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Abstract
Emotions are arguably at the heart of psychotherapy. While clients’ emotions
in therapy have received a great deal of research attention, outside the realm of
psychoanalytic and psychodynamic research, therapists’ emotions have largely
been neglected. When applied to therapy, the concept of social-emotional skills
describes therapists’ ability to be aware of their own and their clients’ emotions and
then draw on that information to manage those emotions and in turn, the
therapeutic interaction. As therapists’ social-emotional skills are a relatively new
area of enquiry, this qualitative study sought to contribute to the literature by
exploring therapists’ views and experiences regarding social-emotional skills in
practice. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with ten practicing therapist
participants between the ages of 31 and 62. Using Thematic Analysis, The Centrality
of Emotions in Therapy was determined as a meta-theme and this was further
organised into four main themes; Emotional Principles, Emotional Awareness
Strategies, Emotional Practices as well as the Learning and Training of Social-
Emotional Skills. The findings were visually represented using ‘The Tree of
Therapists’ Social-Emotional Interactions’ model. Implications of the findings,
limitations of the current study and future research directions are discussed.
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Keywords
Psychotherapy, Psychotherapists, Attitudes, Social skills, Emotions, Psychotherapist and patient, Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES::Social sciences::Psychology::Applied psychology