Becoming a Healthy Therapist: Influences of the Training Program Culture

• Author / Creator

  Wyper, Katy

• Psychotherapists experience a variety of stressors, and many report mental health problems and burnout. However, most psychologists are satisfied with their careers. Therapists-in-training experience similar challenges, and must also survive the demands of graduate school, yet the number of applicants to Canadian psychology programs continues to rise. What attracts these individuals to practice psychology in spite of the negative effects of therapy work? How do they overcome challenges and remain healthy during training? My aim in this study was to gain insight into the experiences of novice therapists. I wanted to explore their perceptions of health, and identify influences that contributed to and hindered their well-being. Interviews with six trainees were conducted, and what resulted was an ethnographic thesis focused on the experiences of novices in the context of training. Participants provided deep, detailed descriptions of how their beliefs, expectations, and well-being were impacted by the culture of training programs.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Therapy training
  • Novice therapists
  • Psychotherapist health

• Graduation date

  Spring 2010

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Education

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R32T0R

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.