Training for Connection: Students' Perceptions of the Effects of the Person-of-the-Therapist Training on Their Therapeutic Relationships

A Tool for Connection: Using the Person-of-the-Therapist Training (POTT) Model in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy Supervision

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) was developed based on the premise that couples get stuck in negative cycles fueled by their underlying primary emotions and unmet attachment needs (Johnson [2004], Creating connection: The practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy). EFT therapists need to stay in touch with and regulate their own emotions when the tension rises in the sessions, while still staying open and vulnerable to their clients. Person-of-the-Therapist Training model (Aponte & Kissil [2016], The person of the therapist training model: Mastering the use of self) aims to increase therapists' understanding, awareness, and acceptance of their own personal issues to create a more empathic connection with their clients. In this manuscript, the authors create a roadmap for EFT supervisors to use the POTT model in supervision as a tool to enhance their supervisees' connection to their clients and effectiveness of their interventions.

Moving Between Dialogic Reflexive Processes In Systemic Family Therapy Training: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study of Trainees' Experience

In this article, we present a qualitative research study concerning the ways that systemic family therapy trainees experience reflexivity while in training. There is inadequate theorizing and limited research concerning reflexivity in family therapy, particularly from trainees' perspective. In our study, we used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to analyse transcripts of semistructured interviews with 10 systemic family therapy trainees. Here, we present one of the four superordinate analytic themes, entitled "Moving between reflexive processes". Our analysis suggests that trainees seem to experience reflexivity as a multifaceted, dialogic process, which occurs both at an inner and at an outer space and both synchronically but also subsequently to the therapeutic/training process. We conclude by raising implications for family therapy training. Video abstract accessible by clicking here.

Does the Person-of-the-Therapist Training (POTT) Promote Self-Care? Personal Gains of MFT Trainees Following POTT: A Retrospective Thematic Analysis

As we recognize how taxing our profession can be, therapist's self-care has become a salient topic in mental health. However, we are still discerning how to promote self-care in our practice and in training. In this paper, we present a study on the personal gains that MFT students experienced after participating in the Person-of-the-Therapist Training (POTT). We propose that the reported changes (better understanding of self, change to self, relational changes, and change as a process) constitute improvements in the trainees' well-being, and can therefore be considered self-caring behaviors and practices. We state that models like POTT, that focus on embracing our vulnerability, can help clinicians be more caring toward ourselves. We conclude this paper by presenting clinical and training recommendations.