A perspetiva dos/as terapeutas acerca da desistência em psicoterapia : um estudo qualitativo

Abstract

Research on psychotherapy dropout has indicated that this is a common issue in therapists' professional practice, having a negative impact on a personal and professional level for them. Objectives: The aim is to understand and analyze the phenomenon of dropout in psychotherapy, from the perspective of the therapists themselves, in the Portuguese context. Method: Twelve psychotherapists participated in this study, who were individually administered a sociodemographic questionnaire to obtain sociodemographic/professional data and a semi-structured interview. A qualitative approach was used, resorting to thematic analysis of the data, using the NVivo 10 software. Results: With the results, it was possible to perceive the personal perspective of each therapist on the clients' dropout, the main risk factors of the same, as well as the impact that this phenomenon entails. Conclusion: The consequences arising from the phenomenon of dropout from therapy should be considered to reduce the negative impact on a personal, emotional and professional level. With the present study, it was possible to understand that the risk factors associated with the clients are the ones most associated with withdrawal, according to the participants, followed by the therapists and the therapeutic relationship itself. According to therapists, dropping out of therapy is a phenomenon that must be normalized and that promotes their personal and professional development, however it promotes negative feelings, such as frustration, sadness and questioning. In this way, training, supervision and individual therapy are essential for therapists to acquire strategies to deal with this phenomenon to preserve their well-being and psychological and emotional health. Keywords: Dropout from psychotherapy, therapists, impact, qualitative study, thematic analysis

Date of Award	2023
Original language	Portuguese
Supervisor	Dulce Patrícia Vale de Vasconcelos Pinto (Supervisor) & Ana Rita Conde Dias (Supervisor)