A Psychotherapy process study of therapist in session self-awareness

Therapist self-awareness has been hailed as a critical component of clinical practice. Yet initial evidence suggests that momentary states of in-session self-awareness in therapists may be distracting. To test the relationships among therapist in-session self-awareness, its affective and behavioral manifestations, therapist management strategies, and client perceptions of the therapy process, therapist and client dyads participated in process recall of a therapy session. Results suggest that therapist self-awareness was helpful and related to more positive client ratings of the therapy process. In addition, therapists were most likely to use basic techniques (e.g., asking a question, using paraphrase) as a way to manage distracting self-awareness, yet no one management strategy was seen as most effective. Implications of the findings are discussed.