Rizou Eleni, Giannouli Vaitsa
MSc Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, Mediterranean College & Derby University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Health Psychol Res. 2020 Dec 30;8(3):9177. doi: 10.4081/hpr.2020.9177.
Therapeutic Relationship has been regarded as a profound element of the psychotherapeutic procedure and crucial for the outcome of therapy. Research evidence so far claims that both therapist's and client's personality can impact the Therapeutic Relationship. Based on the well-researched Attachment Theory there has been some research mostly focused on how clients' attachment patterns can affect the Alliance. Limited research, though, on how therapists experience the Relationship in relation with their Attachment Styles do exist. The current study investigates trainee therapists' experience of the Therapeutic Relationship in the light of their Attachment Style. A qualitative approach was used for this research to investigate in depth the experience of five trainee Integrative psychotherapists who were recruited to take part in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and was divided into superordinate and subordinate themes and analyzed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method. Four master themes were identified. Findings were then compared and discussed according to existing literature. All participants referred to the relevance of Attachment Theory in psychotherapy. They also agreed on the activation of their Attachment Styles during the therapeutic process. The securely attached therapist confirms previous studies on her capability to offer a secure base for her clients. On the other hand therapists with insecure Attachment Styles appeared sensitive in their collaboration mostly with insecure clients. Anxiously attached therapists proved to experience difficulty in the initial stages of the Therapeutic Relationship while the combination of avoidant therapist-avoidant client appeared to be the most demanding one, regarding the concept of trust and relationship ruptures. We suggest that the exploration of trainee therapists' Attachment Styles as well as the study of the Attachment Theory should be added to all Counseling and Psychotherapy curricula regardless the therapeutic orientation because of its contribution to forming positive Therapeutic Relationships.
治疗关系一直被视为心理治疗过程中的一个重要因素，对治疗结果至关重要。迄今为止的研究证据表明，治疗师和来访者的个性都会影响治疗关系。基于经过充分研究的依恋理论，已经有一些研究主要关注来访者的依恋模式如何影响治疗联盟。然而，关于治疗师如何根据其依恋风格体验治疗关系的研究却很有限。本研究根据实习治疗师的依恋风格，调查他们对治疗关系的体验。本研究采用定性研究方法，深入调查了五名被招募参加半结构化访谈的实习整合心理治疗师的体验。访谈内容被转录，并分为上位主题和下位主题，采用解释现象学分析方法进行分析。确定了四个主要主题。然后根据现有文献对研究结果进行比较和讨论。所有参与者都提到了依恋理论在心理治疗中的相关性。他们也认同在治疗过程中自己的依恋风格被激活。安全型依恋的治疗师证实了之前关于她为来访者提供安全基地能力的研究。另一方面，依恋风格不安全的治疗师在与不安全型来访者合作时显得很敏感。焦虑型依恋的治疗师在治疗关系的初始阶段确实遇到了困难，而回避型治疗师与回避型来访者的组合，在信任和关系破裂的概念方面，似乎是最具挑战性的。我们建议，由于依恋风格的探索以及依恋理论的研究对形成积极的治疗关系有帮助，无论治疗取向如何，都应将其纳入所有咨询和心理治疗课程中。
