Personal therapy for therapists

Abstract

Clinicians have often advocated personal therapy as a useful method in the training of psychotherapists. Yet, for decades arguments have existed about the value of a personal therapy experience. In an attempt to clarify the situation, the authors discuss the debate within a historical context and present a critical review of the empirical evidence gathered to date on personal therapy. They found a paucity of reported research on the subject and conclude that additional evidence is required before firm conclusions can be drawn about the merits of psychoanalysis as a training method.