Wisdom and psychotherapy: Studying expert therapists' clinical wisdom to explicate common processes

Levitt, Heidi M.; Piazza-Bonin, Elizabeth

doi:10.1080/10503307.2014.937470

Cited by 35 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Rather, the case is presented as a means of illustrating lessons that have been learned over the course of a career. The case of Mr. R can therefore be read as a contribution to a growing interest and literature around the topic of therapist wisdom (Levitt, & Piazza-Bonin, 2015). In the future, "professional wisdom" case studies may come to be seen as an important category of evidence within the broad professional knowledge research agenda introduced by Fishman (1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the striking characteristics of therapist wisdom studies is that they generate a nuanced, modest and broadly "integrative" understanding of therapy process and outcome that is in many respects at odds with the conclusions of the empirically-validated therapy literature. For example, in interviews conducted with therapists nominated by their peers as possessing wisdom, Levitt, & Piazza-Bonin (2015) found that willingness to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty emerged as a key theme.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Narrative Case Studies and Practice-Based Learning: Reflections on the Case of "Mr. R"

McLeod¹

2016

PCSP

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Narrative case studies tell the story of therapy from the point of view of the client or therapist. Murase's (2015) case of "Mr. R" provides a powerful example of the potential of this form of case inquiry, as a means of enabling reflection and deeper understanding around the practice and process of therapy. The distinctive contribution of the case of Mr. R is discussed in relation to the personal learning of the author in respect of a series of domains: working with the contextual and cultural meaning of the client's issues, creating corrective everyday life interventions, repairing therapist-induced ruptures in the therapeutic alliance, and developing new understandings of the process of client internalisation of the image of the therapist. Theoretical implications of the case are explored, and some suggestions are offered around the further development of narrative case study methods and the concept of therapist wisdom.Key words: culture; everyday life; exemplar study; internalization; narrative; personal meaning; theoretical fluidity; therapy process; wisdom ______________________________________________________________________________ The case of Mr. R offers one of the relatively few English-language examples of the work of Dr Kayoko Murase (2015), for many years one of the most influential figures in psychotherapy in Japan. In addition, this case acts as an example of the rich tradition of case study inquiry that forms a key part of the evidence base for therapy theory and practice in that country. This case therefore possesses cultural and professional significance beyond its account of how therapy unfolded with a troubled young man. Constructing a commentary on this case has been a demanding task, because of the rich, multi-layered nature of the material that has been provided. In the following sections, I offer reflections on three key dimensions of the case: the therapy case study as a form of narrative inquiry, practice-based learning arising from reflection on the case of Mr. R and implications for theory.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narrative Case Studies and Practice-Based Learning: Reflections on the Case of "Mr. R"

McLeod¹

2016

PCSP

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“…What the therapists reported about the impact of working as a therapist on their personal life is available in Råbu, Moltu, Binder and McLeod (2016). As with other qualitative studies (see, for example, Levitt & Piazza-Bonin, 2015a; in order to represent rich qualitative data in sufficient detail, it is necessary to publish separate papers on different themes. None of the themes discussed in the present paper were mentioned in Råbu, et al (2016).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We did not read or discuss the literature on therapist wisdom until after we had completed data analysis. The key paper that provided us with our initial access to this literature (Levitt & Piazza-Bonin, 2015a) was published after we had completed our first analysis. One of the authors is Norwegian, while the other is from Scotland.…”

Section: Researchersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the first systematic investigation of therapist wisdom, Levitt & Piazza-Bonin (2015a; recruited psychotherapists nominated by their peers as possessing wisdom, and interviewed them about how they enacted wisdom within the process of therapy, and their views around how therapists could become wise. In respect of therapy process, the core category to emerge from this material was: "clinical wisdom is taking the risk not to know:…”

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Wisdom in professional knowledge: Why it can be valuable to listen to the voices of senior psychotherapists

Råbu

McLeod

2017

Psychotherapy Research

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Graduate training in psychotherapy: The importance of ongoing clinical activity for the training faculty

Overholser

2019

Couns and Psychother Res

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Background Psychotherapy training is designed to help graduate students develop confidence and competence in their clinical skills. Approach The present manuscript explores three dimensions of an Aristotelian doctrine of knowledge as related to skill in psychotherapy. Findings First, a psychotherapist should be knowledgeable about the background information pertaining to psychological theories and current research in the field. Typically, background information is covered in graduate courses and updated through continuing education opportunities for the licensed psychologists. Second, psychotherapists develop competence in technical skills used in psychotherapy sessions. For graduate students, competence in technical skills can be developed through the direct provision of clinical services in supervised placements. For faculty members, technical skills can be maintained through their involvement in ongoing clinical activities. Third, psychotherapy instructors need expertise in practical wisdom to guide clinical judgment and ethical reasoning skills. Expertise develops through years of practice. Conclusions Graduate students are expected to develop background knowledge and basic competence in clinical skills. Furthermore, faculty members who teach graduate courses on psychological assessment, psychiatric diagnosis and psychological treatments can be expected to attain a level of expertise. Psychotherapy training is improved when faculty instructors have ongoing clinical experience and practical wisdom. The present manuscript confronts the problem and proposes several possible solutions.

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Wisdom and psychotherapy: Studying expert therapists' clinical wisdom to explicate common processes

Abstract: An understanding of clinical wisdom is put forward, characterized by markers and principles for practice, to guide therapy processes within therapists' intentionality and direct research on common factors.

Cited by 35 publications

References 47 publications

Narrative Case Studies and Practice-Based Learning: Reflections on the Case of "Mr. R"

Narrative Case Studies and Practice-Based Learning: Reflections on the Case of "Mr. R"

Wisdom in professional knowledge: Why it can be valuable to listen to the voices of senior psychotherapists

Graduate training in psychotherapy: The importance of ongoing clinical activity for the training faculty

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