How does someone become a psychotherapist? What sort of education and training, life experiences, and professional experiences are necessary to become a competent psychotherapist? Do certain childhood experiences, or some combination of genetic endowment and personality traits, equip one to become a more effective and successful psychotherapist? Is there a common path that psychotherapists follow in their development? This volume explores in depth the experiences that therapists have over the course of their lifetimes, both personal and professional, that contribute to their professional ident ... More

How does someone become a psychotherapist? What sort of education and training, life experiences, and professional experiences are necessary to become a competent psychotherapist? Do certain childhood experiences, or some combination of genetic endowment and personality traits, equip one to become a more effective and successful psychotherapist? Is there a common path that psychotherapists follow in their development? This volume explores in depth the experiences that therapists have over the course of their lifetimes, both personal and professional, that contribute to their professional identities as practicing psychotherapists. The process of becoming a psychotherapist in the context of today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment is deconstructed. Each of the essential building blocks is addressed in a series of chapters authored by acknowledged experts in the field who draw upon their experience and expertise, as well as their personal reflections. Wherever possible, they incorporate findings from relevant empirical research into their chapters, and highlight ethical, cultural and diversity issues. Among the matters considered is how the training of mental health professionals should be affected by the increased recognition of the importance of the therapist’s person to treatment outcome; how to integrate our understanding of the personal and professional experiences that developing psychotherapists have with the formal training they receive; and how the shifting cultural context, with its emphasis on cost-containment, efficacy and accountability for treatment interventions, shapes the demands and challenges facing psychotherapists today. The concluding chapter presents a comprehensive five-stage model for psychotherapist development to shed light upon how these components are effectively organized and integrated, and to address the current controversies that surround what constitutes the optimal set of experiences for the developing psychotherapist. The challenges facing practitioners in the contemporary healthcare environment are considered in terms of their implications for psychotherapist selection, education, supervision, practice, self-care and continued professional growth, and with an eye toward delineating what mitigates for and against good treatment outcomes.