Personal therapeutic approach: Concept and implications

Psychotherapist professional development can be viewed as the development of a therapist’s personal approach. Research evidence suggests that psychotherapy practitioners actively select from the vast array of psychotherapy theories and techniques, often from outside their primary theoretical orientation, and “metabolize” them into unique personal approaches. While the idea of a personal approach is by no means new and is shared by many scholars, practitioners, trainers, and supervisors, a fundamental reflection of this phenomenon is still missing in psychotherapy literature. The goal of this article is to make a step toward the conceptualization of personal therapeutic approach and to explore its implications for psychotherapy integration, practice, training, and research.