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Psychotherapists who abstain from personal therapy: do they practice what they preach?
Author(s) -
Norcross John C.,
Bike Denise H.,
Evans Krystle L.,
Schatz Danielle M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20523
Subject(s) - psychology , seekers , coping (psychology) , psychotherapist , clinical psychology , value (mathematics) , machine learning , political science , computer science , law
The authors examined the attitudes and reasons of 119 American psychologists, counselors, and clinical social workers who had never sought personal therapy. Nontherapy seekers, compared to therapy seekers, expressed less‐positive attitudes toward its value as a prerequisite for clinical work and for ongoing professional development. Women, men, and members of all three professions were equally likely to have sought therapy, but cognitive–behavioral therapists and academics were significantly less likely to do so. Top reasons for not undergoing personal therapy entailed dealing with stress in other ways, receiving sufficient support from friends and family, believing coping strategies were effective, and resolving the problem before therapy was needed. The likelihood of seeking personal treatment in the future as well as reasons for doing so are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64:1–9, 2008.