Therapists' and clients' significant experiences underlying psychotherapy discourse

The range of internal experiences that underlie narration in psychotherapy is explicated and the therapist- and client-originated categories were analyzed to elucidate the often unspoken concerns of participants.

Abstract

This article complements the narrative research that focuses on the process and content of what is said in psychotherapy by examining clients' and therapists' significant experiences beneath the in-session discourse. Toward this end, the authors recorded one midtherapy session from each of four dyads, and the therapist and client from each dyad were then interviewed using an interpersonal process recall method. Participants were asked what they experienced as significant during the session and to describe their rationale for that selection. Descriptions of these experiences were organized into categories using an inductive method. An analysis of therapist- and client-originated categories was conducted to elucidate the often unspoken concerns of participants. The range of internal experiences that underlie narration in psychotherapy is explicated.