How trainee therapists experience resilience: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

While the importance of nurturing resilience in therapists (professionals in psychological therapies, e.g. counsellors, psychotherapists and counselling psychologists), and, in particular, trainees, is broadly recognised, there remains limited research directly exploring this area. The intention of the present study, therefore, is to explore how prequalification trainee therapists who have started seeing clients make sense of their experiences of resilience and to investigate what fosters and sustains their resilience. Four trainee therapists were recruited and one-to-one audio-recorded interviews conducted. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the interview transcripts. Three overarching themes emerged from an analysis across the four cases: 'Reframing resilience', 'Locating resilience' and 'Finding the right path'. Understanding how resilience is developed is integral to fuller understanding of trainee development. Trainees need to develop competence and confidence en route to becoming therapists. Perhaps somewhat paradoxically then, findings in the present study suggest that building resilience is about becoming more vulnerable. Trainees' feelings of empowerment, self-efficacy and control may be fostered through a new less judging relationship to the experience of vulnerability. Indeed, a sense of confidence may emanate from the capacity for managed vulnerability.