Abstract

Aim: Differences in therapeutic outcome can be explained to a significant extent as a therapist effect (Baldwin & Imel, 2013; Owen, Drinane, Idigo, & Valentine, 2015; Wampold, 2001), but in the study of treatment success and failure, knowledge about the subjective experience of the therapist has only recently been studied, including how this varies over the professional career (Orlinsky & Rønnestad, 2005; Rønnestad & Skovholt, 2003, 2013). Also, while there is evidence about the negative effect that doing therapy can have on the therapist, (Figley, 1995, 2002; Maslach & Schaufeli, 2001; McCann & Pearlman, 1990), relatively little is known about the subjective experience of the day by day impact of doing psychotherapy on the therapist. This study presents a subjective construction of psychotherapists’ careers done via the analyses of narratives of three therapists about salient experiences in their professional life. Method: Using a model of autobiographical account, which considers narrations as elaboration by organizing, interpreting and signifying the life events, each story is a reconstruction, focused on the professional self in the professional lifespan that holds the identity of the psychotherapist. Results: Points of encounter and divergence between the narratives are presented. Discussion: The results are discussed considering the notion of personal and professional self and their construction around specific experiences with clients. Specific topics like gender, personal life events and working contexts are discussed too. Finally, the contribution of a qualitative method to the comprehension of career studies is highlighted.