Being and Becoming a Psychotherapist in Portugal

The purpose of this work was to analyze the narratives of 20 Portuguese expert psychotherapists from different theoretical orientations on their personal and professional development during clinical practice. Using a constructive perspective of grounded theory analysis, two main themes emerged. The first theme focuses on the personal and professional experiences that contributed to the development of expert psychotherapists. This theme emphasizes the importance of dialogue and consistency between the personal and professional self-understanding of the development of the psychotherapist. In the second theme, the stages of development and changes of the psychotherapist are organized in two subthemes: (1) steps and changes in development of psychotherapists working in the professional domain and (2) steps and changes in development of psychotherapists in the personal domain. The findings highlight the need to consider the changes in personal and professional development in the study of the development of psychotherapists.

Characteristics of Korean Master Group Counselors 1

The purpose of this study was to explore and understand Korean master group counselors’ personal and professional characteristics and also factors that facilitate and hinder the developmental process. Through peer nomination and snowball sampling, five group counseling experts were nominated as the best group counselors in Korea. The interview data were analyzed based on the grounded theory approach. The major results of the analysis were summarized as 65 concepts, 28 subcategories, and 13 categories. The interview data were categorized through an open-coding process. Analysis of the relationship among the categories revealed the following nine main themes regarding master group counselors’ characteristics: reasons to choose group counseling, phenomenon of being immersed in group counseling, mentors, frustrations and coping, contributions of pain, deficiency and anxiety, strategies for growth, personal characteristics, and professional characteristics.

The World of Expertise in Counseling and Psychotherapy

Research suggests that characteristics and attitudes of the therapist may be a significant contributor to psychotherapy outcome. Researchers using both quantitative and qualitative methods have explored the characteristics of expert practitioners. This chapter provides an overview of the literature on therapist variables and master therapists, describes the validity of the peer nomination process for selecting master therapists, and explains how qualitative meta-analysis is utilized to integrate findings from various countries. Finally, the importance of obtaining an international perspective on master therapists is emphasized. Qualitative studies on the practices of expert therapists in different countries offer rich descriptive narratives for how optimal therapy works in different country and cultural contexts. More qualitative studies are needed to understand old and new constructs from different cultural perspectives.

Psychotherapy Expertise in Singapore

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: (1) personal characteristics (empathic, nonjudgmental, and respectful), (2) developmental influences (experience, self-awareness, humility, and self-doubt), (3) approach to practice (balance between support and challenge, flexible therapeutic stance, empowerment/strength-based approach, primacy of the therapeutic alliance, comfortable addressing spirituality, and embraces working within a multicultural context), and (4) ongoing professional growth (professional development practices, benefits of teaching/training others, and challenges to professional development in Singapore). Cross-cultural comparisons between this study and Jennings and Skovholt’s 1999 study of Minnesota expert psychotherapists found considerable overlap of themes. Implications for research and practice of psychotherapy are offered.

Personal and Professional Characteristics of Japanese Master Therapists

This study explores the characteristics of 10 Japanese master therapists who gained the largest number of nominations from Japanese psychotherapists. Qualitative data analysis was processed utilizing the grounded theory approach and the consensual qualitative research method. Results clarified important characteristics of Japanese master therapists. First, as a foundation, they possess positive personality traits, such as modesty, warmth, sincerity, absence of self-centeredness, and resilience. Second, they possess an exceptional ability to perceive and process various cognitive and emotional information from the client, from the therapist him- or herself, and from the therapy process. Third, master therapists are able to continuously learn from their experiences, stimulated by their curiosity and creativity, as well as their sense of responsibility and discipline as professionals. Finally, cross-cultural comparison of Japanese and American master therapists are discussed, a model of master therapist development is proposed, and suggestions for future research and therapist training are offered.

Canadian Master Couple Therapists

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics, skills, and experiences of master couple therapists and to gain a deeper understanding of how these experts approach the specialized practice of couple therapy. Seven psychologists and two social workers designated by their professional colleagues as “master couple therapists” participated in a qualitative interview and wrote narratives about their skills, characteristics, and experiences. Individuals who nominated these “master couple therapists” were also interviewed to further understand their choice to nominate these particular practitioners. Data from master couple therapists and nominator participants were analyzed using a category construction and thematic analysis process. Three overarching themes emerged from the data and suggested that this group of master couple therapists demonstrated a remarkable commitment to personal development and self, professional development, and relationships. The importance of engaging in self-care, ongoing learning, and developing strong personal and professional relationships is explored.

Czech Master Therapists

Existing research suggests that although many master therapists’ characteristics are interculturally valid, at least some of these characteristics are culturally bound. Interviews with nine peer-nominated Czech expert psychotherapists were subjected to thematic analysis that revealed 16 themes, organized into six categories: (1) humble attitude toward mastery, clients, and colleagues; (2) relationship; (3) awareness of one’s needs, limits, and resources; (4) continuous development; (5) engagement; and (6) awareness of the complexity of psychotherapeutic work. The results are discussed in the context of cultural differences, as well as specific historical circumstances of the development of the Czech therapeutic scene. Despite the fact that master therapists’ characteristics show fundamental similarity across countries and cultures, conducting studies in diverse environments may contribute to the formulation of a rich and culturally sensitive description of what is means to be a master therapist.

Bringing It All Together

Responding to calls for international psychotherapy research, a qualitative meta-analysis (QMA) exploring the essential qualities of master therapists from a global perspective was conducted on seven master therapist studies from the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, Portugal, Singapore, Japan, and Korea. Based on the analysis of 111 themes, we identified the following eight meta-categories representing common strengths and characteristics among 72 master therapists from seven countries: (1) Distinctive Clinical Abilities, (2) Professional Development, (3) Relational Orientation, (4) Cognitive Complexity and Intricate Conceptualization, (5) Therapeutic Alliance, (6) Pursuit of Deep Self Knowledge and Growth, (7) Humility, and (8) Experience. The meta-categories are discussed in relation to the psychotherapy research literature on therapist factors and expertise. The Synthesis Model of Master Therapists from Around the World is introduced, and recommendations for research and training are provided.