Feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and incompetence among experienced therapists

Abstract

Feelings of incompetence are an ongoing part of the private experience of being a therapist. They are often linked to therapist stress, distress, and to negative therapeutic processes and outcomes, yet systematic inquiries into the subjective judgment of experienced therapists as inadequate and incompetent in their professional roles are rare. A qualitative approach was used in this study to obtain rich descriptions of encounters with feelings of incompetence among experienced therapists. Eight therapists with a minimum of ten years experience were recruited for the study and were interviewed using a semi‐structured interview protocol. The resulting transcripts were analysed with procedures based on grounded theory methodology. Findings indicated that feelings of incompetence existed on a continuum of intensity and that the experience was multiply determined. Implications for therapist training and practice are presented.

Measuring Changes in Counselor Self-Efficacy: Further Validation and Implications for Training and Supervision

“…A trainee's transition among the various developmental stages is seldom smooth (Skovholt & Rivers, 2004) and the ambivalence or uncertainty inherent in this process might have interfered with the trainee's realistic assessment of his or her abilities. However, a more likely explanation is that these trainees were encountering unique personal distress, or preoccupation with effectiveness that was not being addressed in their training or supervision (Skovholt & Ronnestad, 2003;Thériault & Gazzola, 2005).…”

“…Since self-efficacy is a well-established mediator of performance, it can serve as a desirable intermediate outcome of graduate-level education. It is clear that beginning practitioners require a greater amount of instruction, support, and guidance very early on in the training process because they experience anxiety and other debilitating emotions that erode their felt sense of confidence (Heppner & Roehlke, 1984;Thériault & Gazzola, 2005). An efficacy-based individualized plan where trainees are encouraged to engage in a constant comparison between perceptions of efficacy and actual evidence of competence (e.g., from video-taped sessions) would begin to address some of these constraints.…”

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

“…The notion of personal growth during formal training is often left unexplored in the empirical literature, despite the fact that research on experienced therapists has revealed that personal qualities are more crucial to the therapeutic process than treatment techniques (Theriault & Gazzola, 2005). Although schools of experiential psychotherapy emphasize this type of self-development, little empirical evidence has actually even documented it.…”

“…Beyond these self-doubts, a trainee's negative affect can adversely influence the client and session (Melton, Nofzinger-Collins, Wynne, et al, 2005), although this phenomenon is not unique to trainees. Theriault and Gazzola (2005) found that even experienced therapists often have ongoing feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and incompetency, which are also correlated with a host of negative therapy processes/outcomes.…”

Psychodynamic therapists' dilemmas in providing personal therapy to therapists in training: An exploratory study

“…There is evidence that being a therapist can have a negative impact, including depletion of emotional reserves; reduced empathy for family members; feelings of inadequacy and incompetence; adverse effects on friendships; decreased levels of socialisation; and a lessened ability to be genuine, spontaneous and comfortable (Guy, Poelstra, & Stark, 1988;Kottler, 1986;Theriault & Gazzola, 2005).…”