The subjective experience of psychotherapists during moments of rupture in psychotherapy with adolescents

Submitted: November 21, 2018
Accepted: January 22, 2019
Published: April 19, 2019
Abstract Views: 1842
PDF: 1079
HTML: 246
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

The study of the ruptures of the therapeutic alliance has impacted research in psychotherapy by highlighting the relational nature of this phenomenon. Despite ruptures are frequent and relevant during adolescent psychotherapy, most of the empirical evidence in this field has been carried out with adults. Understanding the subjective experience of the therapist during ruptures while working with adolescent is proposed as a starting point for the study of this type of interactional scenarios. The study examined the meanings that emerge from the therapists’ experience in terms of their explanations about the causes and effects of ruptures with adolescents. Eight psychotherapists were interviewed about their experiences during ruptures with young patients. The data was qualitatively analyzed through the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis method. Four categories emerged: the failure to recognize the adolescent’s experience, the intensity of the affective experience of adolescents in psychotherapy, therapeutic boundaries as an articulator of the therapeutic purpose and, the obstacles that family generates during the therapeutic process. This study concurs with the literature on the need to make explicit with the family about the meaning, roles and limits of the therapy, and to prevent the exercise of control from an adultcentered position. It is concluded that in order to avoid and repair ruptures with adolescents in psychotherapy, an approach that integrates a sensitive attitude, an ecological point of view and mentalizing about the origin of the rupture is needed.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Supporting Agencies

National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT) National PhD/2014 - 21140172 scholarship; National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FONDECYT) Project N°1150639; Fund for Competitiveness (Fondo de Innovación para la Competitividad, FIC), part of the Ministry of Economy, Development, and Tourism, Millennium Scientific Initiative (Project IS130005).

How to Cite

Morán, J., Díaz, M. F., Martínez, C., Varas, C., & Parra Sepúlveda, R. (2019). The subjective experience of psychotherapists during moments of rupture in psychotherapy with adolescents. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2019.346

List of Cited By :

Crossref logo