"It's both a strength and a drawback." How therapists' personal qualities are experienced in their professional work

Acupressure for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Depression is a common mental disorder caused by the interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors. Treatments include psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and other therapies, but they have limitations. Particularly, the COVID-19 pandemic may have a negative impact on depressed people. Thus, developing more potential treatments for depression has currently been an urgent challenge. A growing number of studies have found that acupressure is effective in relieving the symptoms of depression. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupressure in people with depression. English (PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE, APA PsycINFO, and CINAHL) and Chinese databases (CBM, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP), ClinicalTrials.gov and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on patients diagnosed with depression from study inception until March 31, 2023. Studies that compared acupressure with sham acupressure, conventional treatments (i.e., medication, usual care, etc.), and acupressure as an adjunct to conventional treatment for depression were included. The primary outcome was depression level measured using the Hamilton Depression Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, or Geriatric Depression Scale. A total of 19 RCTs involving 1686 participants were included. The pooled results showed that acupressure exhibited a significant beneficial effect on reducing the severity of depression compared with sham acupressure and served as an adjunct to conventional treatment, although the evidence level was moderate. Thus, acupressure may be a potential treatment for depression.

People Engaging Each Other: A Dual-Perspective Study of Interpersonal Processes in Useful Therapy

To explore how clients and therapists experience and engage in a therapeutic relationship which the client can make use of. We explored 11 psychotherapy dyads using in-depth qualitative methods. Selected dyads were ones in which the client experienced the therapy as useful. The data collection method was serial interviews with both therapists and clients. Therapists and clients were interviewed separately, four and two times, respectively, about their personal development, their views on and experiences with therapy, and their collaboration in the concrete therapeutic dyad. Transcripts of interviews were analyzed using a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative analysis. The analysis yielded an overarching theme identified as “engaging each other.” This theme consisted of three constituent processes, developed from complementary descriptions from clients and therapists: (1) opening up to an encounter between humans, (2) trusting professionality, and (3) creating space for an unbearable story. We discuss how technical skill and personal warmth underlie the development of a helping relationship within which humans can open up to a personal encounter with suffering. We discuss how the personal aspect of the therapist position relates to psychotherapy as a moral practice, and suggest that this perspective is meaningful in understanding the therapist factor and the real relationship.

Therapists' Experiences of Psychodynamic Therapy with and without Transference Interventions for Adolescents with Depression

Psychodynamic therapy is an effective treatment for depression. However, a large number of adolescent patients with depression do not respond and/or drop out of therapy and little is known about what therapists actually do in therapy with adolescents. Thus, more research is needed to explore the various actions that therapists do in therapy, so that therapists can tailor their therapy more specifically to each individual adolescent. The present study aimed to investigate how the experience of psychotherapists differs between two treatment modes for adolescents with depression: psychodynamic psychotherapy with and without transference interventions. In-depth interviews were conducted with six therapists. The data, which were analyzed using thematic analysis, generated three key themes: (1) The therapists experienced that transference interventions are often useful in therapies with adolescents with depression, (2) therapies without transference interventions can be challenging for therapists, but still helpful for patients, and (3) the experience contributed to the deepening recognition of therapists that they always need to adapt their techniques to the particular patient. The results enhance our knowledge of the significance of therapists’ actions in therapy with adolescents. The therapists highlighted issues that are important for identifying barriers to incorporating new knowledge into clinical practice.

The personal self of psychotherapists: Dimensions, correlates, and relations with clients

OBJECTIVE

The personal self of psychotherapists, that is, experiences of self in close personal relationships and its association with therapists' individual and professional attributes is explored. The study aimed to: (a) describe therapists' self-ratings on specific self-attributes; (b) determine their dimensionality; (c) explore demographic, psychological, and professional correlates; and (d) assess the convergence with professional self.

METHOD

Data from the Development of Psychotherapists Common Core Questionnaire were available for > 10,000 psychotherapists of various professions, theoretical orientations, career levels, and nations.

RESULTS

Most psychotherapists described themselves in close relationships in affirming terms (e.g., warm/friendly), although a substantial minority also described themselves in negative terms. Factor analyses yielded four dimensions: Genial/Caring, Forceful/Exacting, Reclusive/Remote, and Ardent/Expressive. Being Genial/Caring was associated with life satisfaction. Among professional attributes, personal self-experiences, and parallel dimensions of relationship with clients correlated strongly.

CONCLUSIONS

Analyses of > 10,000 psychotherapists revealed meaningful variations in personal self relevant to personal and professional life.