Clients' representations of their therapists over the course of psychotherapy

Abstract

Using a cross-sectional design, the forms, functional themes, and corresponding affects of clients' (n = 88) representations of their therapists were compared across three distinct time phases of therapy: up to one year, between one and three years, and more than three years. Results indicated that clients in the beginning phase of therapy were less likely to employ representations in the service of continuing the therapeutic dialogue in-between sessions, and less likely to use representations to relieve the pain associated with missing the therapist during separations than clients who have been in therapy for more than one year. Clients in all three phases of therapy most commonly felt comforted and accepted when evoking therapist representations in between sessions.