Clients' assimilation of experiences of their therapists.

In this study, we examined how clients internalize their therapists, understanding this phenomenon through the lens of the assimilation model, a theory of psychological change. The assimilation model describes people as comprised of multiple voices, each voice being a representation of interrelated experiences organized around significant people or events. In this study, we interviewed five former psychotherapy clients and asked them to describe how they experienced, and continue to experience, their therapists internally. On the basis of these interviews, we extended the assimilation model by constructing an account of how clients’ experiences of their therapists are internalized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)