Systemic individual therapy: Therapeutic change from the perspective of clients and therapists

Abstract

Therapeutic change is a well-studied construct in psychotherapy process and outcome studies, providing the basis for how psychotherapy practices are effective in individuals wellbeing. The current study explores the experiences of therapists and clients regarding how therapeutic change is experienced in systemic individual therapy. 12 therapists (1 men, 11 women) and 12 clients (2 men, 10 women) were recruited as participants from two training centers. Both therapists’ and clients’ experiences are investigated with semi-structured interviews using thematic analysis (TA). Results revealed three main themes for clients: “Sense-making the Problems Through Relational Awareness”, “Acceptance in Relationships”, and “Manifesting the Differentiated Self in Relationship.” Regarding therapists’ perspective, the results yielded three main themes: “Going Beyond One-to-one Relationship in Therapy”, “Increasing Relational Awareness”, “Shift in Clients’ Attitudes Towards Boundaries with Significant Others.”. The themes were discussed in the context of the systems theory literature, limitations, strengths, future research directions, and clinical implications.