Qualitative Study of Effective Interventional and Management Strategies for Psychotherapists and Counselors Dealing with Difficult Clients

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

2 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Khatam, Tehran, Iran.

3 Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

 The primary objective of this study was to ascertain the experiences of Iranian therapists who dealt with challenging customers and to examine the approaches they utilized. The present research employed a qualitative form of phenomenology as its research methodology. In 2021 and 2022, the community of this study comprised active therapists in Tehran. With the purposeful continuation of sampling until the saturation limit was reached, seventeen therapists were ultimately chosen. The participants were subsequently asked to complete semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed utilizing Colaizzi’s method of descriptive data analysis. Through the examination of the data, 60 primary concepts, 9 sub-themes, and 2 main themes were identified. The overarching theme comprises two components: firstly, efficacious approaches during the therapeutic session (encompassing general therapeutic communication strategies, general individual strategies, specialized strategies pertaining to clients experiencing marital difficulties, specialized strategies pertaining to clients confronting family issues, and specialized strategies pertaining to clients diagnosed with personality disorder); and secondly, successful strategies implemented outside of the session (including general social strategies, support systems. Overall, the findings of this study indicated that clinicians’ approach to challenging clients influences the caliber of care they provide. Therefore, training and a competent supervisor are required in this field.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Applied Psychological Research
Volume 14, Issue 4
2024
Pages 263-283

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History

  • Receive Date: 16 January 2023
  • Revise Date: 08 June 2023
  • Accept Date: 16 June 2023
  • First Publish Date: 21 January 2024
  • Publish Date: 21 January 2024

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