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What claims are made about clients and therapists’ experiences of psychotherapy environments in empirical research? A systematic mixed‐studies review and narrative synthesis
Author(s) -
Morrey Tara,
Larkin Michael,
Rolfe Alison
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
counselling and psychotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.38
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1746-1405
pISSN - 1473-3145
DOI - 10.1002/capr.12336
Subject(s) - psycinfo , context (archaeology) , psychology , narrative , psychotherapist , quality (philosophy) , mereology , process (computing) , critical appraisal , empirical research , systematic review , medline , epistemology , medicine , computer science , alternative medicine , paleontology , linguistics , philosophy , pathology , political science , law , biology , operating system
Aims To synthesise and evaluate evidence about experiences of psychotherapy environments. Methods Studies were identified from systematic literature searches of PsycINFO, ASSIA and Web of Science. Selected studies were published in English between 2002 and 2016. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. A quality appraisal process indicated that the quality of evidence was 'moderate' across included papers. Findings In the narrative synthesis, we use the concept 'mereology' to underscore the mutually constitutive relationship between person, world and practice. In this context, themes of relating, containment and process each highlight the integral and nuanced influences of the environment on the therapeutic endeavour. Conclusions In therapeutic training, it would be beneficial to utilise the concept of a 'mereological system' (reflecting how a person and their environment shape each other and constitute a whole) to show how environmental features may affect clinical practice. Designers may also benefit from using this concept for the purpose of improving therapeutic environments. Further research that explores features of the therapy as part of a mereological system may pinpoint other aspects that facilitate beneficial therapy outcomes.