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Perceived impact of person-of-the-therapist training (POTT) model on Drexel University Master of Family Therapy postgraduates' clinical work: a grounded theory study
Dissertation   Open access

Perceived impact of person-of-the-therapist training (POTT) model on Drexel University Master of Family Therapy postgraduates' clinical work: a grounded theory study

Florina Lauriana Apolinar Claudio
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
May 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-7709
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Apolinar-Claudio_Florina_20161.28 MBDownloadView

Abstract

Family psychotherapy Counseling psychology Family therapists--Training of Clinical Psychology Psychology
The person-of-the-therapist training (POTT) model, developed by renowned family therapist Harry Aponte, and implemented in the Drexel University Master of Family Therapy curriculum, was the training model of focus for the study. Postgraduates of the Drexel University Master of Family Therapy Program were interviewed using grounded theory methods on the perceived impact of person-of-the-therapist training on clinical effectiveness. The generated theory revealed that postgraduates developed a purposeful therapeutic presence; participants believed that their presence, way of being, and the way that they provided therapy, way of doing, had transformed. The stance they had was self-accepting, self-aware, compassionate, empathic, and grounded. Therefore, the therapy they provided was decisive, thoughtful, compassionate, self-aware, and connected-to-self. Although attention to the person or self-of-the-therapist was present in the couple and family therapy literature, research on the effectiveness of person-of-the-therapist training is virtually nonexistent. Thus, the present study addressed this gap in the literature; particularly because the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the field's primary professional organization, includes person-of-the-therapist elements in established competency standards. Moreover, the marriage and family therapy profession is growing, highlighting the importance of effective training to ensure competent clinical services.

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