Expertise in counseling and psychotherapy : master therapist studies from around the world

329 Pages·2016·14.25 MB·English

by  Jennings

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Expertise in Counseling and Psychotherapy
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Expertise in Counseling
and Psychotherapy
MASTER THERAPIST STUDIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Edited by Len Jennings
and Thomas M. Skovholt
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To my family, Karrie, Tristan, Emma, and Keaton. You mean the world to me.
Len Jennings
To my grandparents, Anna and Julius Skovholt and Bertha and Fred Meyer, who suffered and
sacrificed, bridging languages and cultures, to offer promise and hope to their children and
grandchildren.
Tom Skovholt
To the 72 master therapists from around the world. Thank you for your meaningful work and
willingness to share your wisdom with us as well as with practitioners and students throughout
the world.
Len Jennings and Tom Skovholt
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Contents
Foreword  ix
Clara E. Hill
Free Access to Master Therapists  xv
Preface  xvii
Acknowledgments  xxvii
About the Contributors  xxix
1. The World of Expertise in Counseling and Psychotherapy  1
Len Jennings, Thomas M. Skovholt, Heather Hessel, Sharada Lakhan, and Michael Goh
2. Czech Master Therapists  19
Tomáš Řiháček, Mária Kahancová, Len Jennings, Jan Roubal, and Zbyněk Vybíral
3. Canadian Master Couple Therapists  53
Allyson Smith and William J. Whelton
4. Being and Becoming a Psychotherapist in Portugal: A Dialogue Between Personal
and Professional Experiences  93
Helena Moura de Carvalho and Paula Mena Matos
5. Psychotherapy Expertise in Singapore: A Qualitative Investigation  127
Len Jennings, Vilma D’Rozario, Michael Goh, Ashley Sovereign, Megan Brogger,
and Thomas M. Skovholt
6. Personal and Professional Characteristics of Japanese Master Therapists: A Qualitative
Investigation on Expertise in Psychotherapy and Counseling in Japan  155
Tatsuya Hirai and Michael Goh
7. Characteristics of Korean Master Group Counselors  195
Kyoung-In Kwon and Chang- Dai Kim
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viii Contents
8. Bringing It All Together: A Qualitative Meta- Analysis of Seven Master Therapists Studies
from Around the World  227
Len Jennings, Ashley Sovereign, Salina Renninger, Michael Goh, Thomas M. Skovholt,
Sharada Lakhan, and Heather Hessel
Appendix: The Cognitive, Emotional, and Relational
Characteristics of Master Therapists  275
Len Jennings and Thomas M. Skovholt
Name Index  285
Subject Index  293
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Foreword
Clara E. Hill
I am delighted to write the foreword for this important book on master thera-
pists. The qualitative meta- analysis of interviews in seven studies with a total of 72
master therapists from around the world provides incredibly rich data about how
these therapists think about themselves and their work. In my opinion, there is a
high degree of trustworthiness in the seven studies and the meta- analysis. The proce-
dures are well documented, the writing is clear, the themes are well supported by the
quotations, the results make sense, and the authors have described their biases and
done a good job of bracketing them.
What Did We Learn?
We learned that there are eight consistent themes in what therapists from around the
world say about themselves and their work. These themes make sense and provide valu-
able stimulus for selection and training of therapists. I particularly love and have remem-
bered since I first read the Jennings and Skovholt (1999) study the theme that therapists
are voracious learners: They continually want to learn new things and apply their learning
to clients. I also like the theme of humility: These therapists are not arrogant but, rather,
are very aware of how much they do not know, how complicated human beings are, and
how much there is to learn. I also particularly like the theme of cognitive complexity
because it does seem that one of the major skills students learn as they become therapists
is to be curious and think more deeply and thoughtfully about clients. In addition to
listening carefully to presenting problems, they begin to observe nonverbal behaviors,
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