| Abstract: | Experiences of current and career professional development were surveyed for 3,958 psychotherapists at all career stages in several western countries. Participants included psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health practitioners representing a broad range of theoretical orientations. The mean number of years in practice for the participants was 11.2, with a range of less than 1 to as many as 52. The Ss were aged 22–90 yrs. Measures of experienced development were consistent across professional and demographic categories. As expected, perceived therapeutic mastery increased with increasing years in practice, but currently experienced growth remained at a high and unexpectedly constant level across career cohorts, including the most senior practitioners. Overall findings suggest that therapists experience development simultaneously as a gradually increasing sense of professional expertise and as an ongoing sense of continual improvement, interpreted as essential to maintaining their motivation and morale. Contributions of these aspects of therapist development to process and outcome are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
