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Continuing to Matter: Keeping Psychotherapy in Perspective a Grounded Theory Study

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Date

2023

Authors

Supervisor

Day, Elizabeth
Tudor, Keith

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Doctor of Philosophy

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

Much is written about how psychotherapists work clinically, with ample reflection regarding the relationships between them and their clients. However, there is almost no enquiry into the psychotherapist’s relationships with their significant others. This research aimed to redress this imbalance, at least partially, by asking 17 significant others (SOs) of psychotherapists in Aotearoa New Zealand how the training and practice impacts them. Twenty interviews were conducted and the data analysed using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. A substantive theory emerged, titled Continuing to matter: Keeping the psychotherapeutic third in perspective. Findings showed relational and other contextual conditions played a vital role in how relationships between psychotherapists and SOs fared; however, central to all SOs’ experiences was a desire to matter more to their related psychotherapist than psychotherapy. Psychotherapy and its constituent features of knowledge, skills, clients, training, the wider profession, and varying modalities came to form an impactful entity called the psychotherapeutic third. This third was found to play a dynamic role in the relationship between the psychotherapist and their SO, and formed one of two theoretical categories in the substantive theory. It is viewed through the lens of a second theoretical category, engaging the mattering cycle, whereby SOs move through a series of three processes; identifying a shift in the relationship attributed to the psychotherapeutic third, assessing its benefit and value, and recalibrating status and stasis within the relationship. The interrelationship of these two theoretical categories perceiving a psychotherapeutic third and engaging the mattering cycle informed the theory’s core category, mattering. Mattering is critical to well-being and relational health, informing our cognitive and affective sense of relatedness to people. This new theory builds on extant mattering theory, taking it in a new direction. Implications of these findings include inviting training programmes, psychotherapists, and other allied psychology professions to think creatively about the role of the psychotherapeutic third and how it enhances and diminishes mattering in relationships with SOs. Additionally, the theory generated has relevance for other occupational groups, particularly those working in caring professions or allied health, where the risk of work-life spillover may similarly impact. The research provides a tangible model for educators to reference when developing programme curricula, addressing the risks and potential gains for trainees’ relationships and the conditions under which they can thrive.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10292/17512

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