Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT)

Advisor

Douglas Flemons

Abstract

Abstract Therapists in training must learn the craft of cultivating therapeutic relationships. This involves the development of two skills: the practice of therapeutic empathy and the professional management of personal reactions in the therapy room. Supervisors help facilitate therapists’ learning of these skills, not only by what they explain and suggest, but also by how they engage with their trainees. This research study explored how Douglas Flemons implements his Relational approach to therapy and supervision in training clinicians. Particular attention was paid to his way of teaching and inviting therapeutic empathy and to his focus on therapists’ resourcefulness when challenges in the therapeutic relationship arise. The researcher utilized Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) as a research method, interviewing participants in two separate supervision sessions. In each encounter, the supervisor encouraged the therapist’s understanding and implementation of empathy and, rather than focusing on self-of-the-therapist or person-of-the-therapist deficits, he accessed their personal and professional resources. The findings of this investigation contribute new ideas to the field of family therapy, the training of supervisors, and the supervision of trainees. They also reflect the importance of maintaining epistemological consistency between therapeutic and supervisory endeavors. Keywords: therapeutic relationship, empathy, resourcefulness, Relational Therapy, Relational Supervision, Interpersonal Process Recall, self-of-the-therapist, person-of-the-therapist, epistemology

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