Therapists’ self-reported chronic strategies of disconnection in everyday life and in counselling and psychotherapy: an exploratory study

Cooper, Mick; Knox, Rosanne

doi:10.1080/03069885.2017.1343457

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Regarding the prevalent CT dimensions, the results confirmed, regardless of whether CT was detected from the internal or external point of view, what other authors have found: CT’s most antagonistic and active components are infrequent in beginning psychotherapists; the uncertainty characterizing this phase of a psychotherapist’s career might have led them to adopt disengaged and inhibiting behavior rather than active and more harmful emotional reactions (Cartwright et al, 2014; Cooper & Knox, 2018; Davis, 2002; Gait & Halewood, 2019). Moreover, the fact that we considered counseling sessions and not psychotherapy sessions could have influenced the emerging CT dimensions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Beginning psychotherapists nonspecifically trained on CT issues mostly used withdrawal or disorganization as a way to deal with CT reactions. For example, trainees tended to revert to basic listening skills to contain themselves rather than focus on a patient's projections (Stefano et al, 2007), use self-disclosure and nondisclosure to close off rather than to analyze a patient's intense transference feelings (Davis, 2002), or adopt passive strategies such as being overly formal, using humor, intellectualization, and daydreaming (Cooper & Knox, 2018).…”

Section: Countertransference In Training Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The relationship between self-observed and other-observed countertransference and session outcome.

Rocco¹,

Bei²,

Negri³

et al. 2021

Psychotherapy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For the psychodynamic approach, being aware of and managing countertransference is a core therapeutic competency. Research has demonstrated the negative effect of unmanaged countertransference on the outcomes of all kinds of psychotherapy. In this study, we focused on the relationship between countertransference when measured by therapists and external observers and its impact on session quality. We analyzed 69 counseling sessions, held by 23 in-training psychotherapists with 23 patients. We used the Therapist Response Questionnaire and three external observers (who used the Countertransference Behavior Measure) to measure psychotherapists' countertransference. We rated the session impact perceived by patients and psychotherapists using the Session Evaluation Questionnaire and by patients through the Session Impact Scale. Psychotherapists' and observers' ratings of countertransference correlated though on different dimensions. These results indicate that comparing external and internal evaluations can help to understand various aspects of countertransference since they have different associations with the session outcome. From a methodological point of view, it is necessary to adopt various perspectives to investigate countertransference. Future research should confirm these results on a sample of experienced psychotherapists. Clinical Impact StatementQuestion: What is the advantage in adopting different perspectives in evaluating countertransference? Findings: Clinicians and supervisors can use these findings to develop a deeper attitude toward their ability to detect the various aspects of countertransference on one's own. Meaning: A multiperspective approach for analyzing countertransference can provide a deeper understanding of the impact on the session outcome; research requires a new methodological approach to explore this aspect further. Next Steps: Future research should analyze the factors that help clinicians to improve their countertransference awareness; the obtained results should be verified on a sample of experienced psychotherapists.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Countertransference In Training Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between self-observed and other-observed countertransference and session outcome.

Rocco¹,

Bei²,

Negri³

et al. 2021

Psychotherapy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Mearns and Cooper (2018) identified a number of strategies by which therapists may be trained to deepen their levels of relating. This includes the development of practical skills such as Òholistic listeningÓ, and self-reflective work on identifying oneÕs own Òchronic strategies of disconnectionÓ (Cooper & Knox, 2018). It also includes a broader developmental agenda, such as developing the capacity to draw on Òexistential touchstonesÓ.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and validation of the relational depth frequency scale

Malta

Evans

Cooper

2019

Psychotherapy Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: The Relational Depth Frequency Scale (RDFS) was developed to measure the frequency of specific moments of profound contact and engagement in psychotherapy. Method:Following an initial process of item generation and rating, Three-Step Test Interviews were conducted with eight therapists and clients to further refine potential items. Sixteen relational depth items were then taken forward for psychometric assessment in an online sample of 336 therapists and 220 clients, each divided into separate ÒshorteningÓ and ÒcheckingÓ subsamples.Results: Following psychometric scale shortening involving confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis, we formed a six item RDFS that could be used with both therapists and clients. The parameters of the shortened form replicated well in the independent checking subsamples with good internal consistency (CronbachÕs α = .85 and .93 in therapist and clients respectively), acceptable fit statistics in CFA and Rasch analysis, and moderate to high levels of convergent validity against the Working Alliance Inventory (Short Form, Revised) and Relational Depth Inventory (RDI-R2). Conclusion: As a brief self-report measure, the RDFS can be used to further assess the relationship between relational depth and therapeutic outcomes.Further research is needed to examine the validity of the RDFS in clinical settings.

show abstract

“…Dissociative tendencies are not far removed from the residual impact of habitual stoicism, often seen in anxiety- or fear-based occupations. The nature of dissociation is such that it may protect disaster-exposed employees against intense automatic and uncontrolled behavior by numbing ego involvement or else by introducing a disconnection between one’s emotional pain and the event, thus increasing the ease of responding to a disaster (Arnold & Pinkston, 2014; Cooper & Knox, 2018). In generic terms, dissociative constellations involve enduring personality changes, characterized by modified experiences in awareness, identity and consciousness, diminished affectivity (i.e., emotional numbing or compartmentalization), absorption (nonreactivity to personal inner experiences), reexamination of systems of meaning, attention (i.e., amnesia), and so forth (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).…”

Section: Dissociation As a Central Feature Of Posttraumatic Stress Di...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Death anxiety and spiritual intelligence as predictors of dissociative posttraumatic stress disorder in Greek first responders: A moderation model.

Polemikou¹,

Vantarakis²

2019

Spirituality in Clinical Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This cross-sectional study sought to examine spiritual intelligence (SI) as a moderator between death anxiety (DA) and dissociative posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD-DISS) among 1st responders. A convenience sample of 182 1st responders (aid workers and firefighters) was recruited from the regional directorates of Western Greece. Participants provided sociodemographic details and were assessed on SI-, DA-, and PTSD-DISS-related symptomatology. We hypothesized that DA would successfully predict prodromal PTSD-DISS, with SI inversely moderating the relationship between the aforementioned constructs, such that an increase in SI would correspond to a decrease in PTSD-DISS. The overall model confirmed that DA, SI, and their linear combination significantly explained 77% of PTSD-DISS variance. Furthermore, SI significantly moderated the relationship between DA and PTSD-DISS, though in the opposite direction than expected: At low SI values the association between DA and PTSD-DISS was nonexistent (t ϭ .45, p ϭ .07), whereas DA had an incremental effect on PTSD-DISS analogous to increasing SI values (average SI: t ϭ .2, p ϭ .05; high SI: t ϭ 2.54, p ϭ .01). The results indicate diverse trajectories of spiritual (death anxietyϪrelated) experiences and SI in mental health outcomes. Conceptual considerations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

show abstract

Therapists’ self-reported chronic strategies of disconnection in everyday life and in counselling and psychotherapy: an exploratory study

Cited by 9 publications

References 20 publications

The relationship between self-observed and other-observed countertransference and session outcome.

The relationship between self-observed and other-observed countertransference and session outcome.

Development and validation of the relational depth frequency scale

Death anxiety and spiritual intelligence as predictors of dissociative posttraumatic stress disorder in Greek first responders: A moderation model.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About