The Self of the Psychotherapist: Movement and Stagnation in Psychotherapy

by Anne-Lise Lovlie

Most psychotherapists agree that the self of the therapist is the most decisive factor for successful therapy, regardless of the type of problem the client presents. The author examines the therapist variables from the point of view of the self model. Why is acceptance important in therapy? Openness? Care? What is the relationship between openness in the therapist and growth in the client? Using a dialectic, existential and developmental perspective the author shows how stagnation in psychotherapy is related to lack of authenticity in the therapist. The therapist creates himself in relationships. So does the client. This book shows how the therapist's way of creating therapeutic relationships either promotes growth or maintains stagnation. Existential philosophy is combined with psychological theory in an effort to arrive at a more integrated view of both the self and the possibilities for change.

154 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 1985