Abstract
In this study it is suggested that there is a discrepancy between what psychology students learn throughout their education and the actual demands of psychological practice. Furthermore it is hypothesized that an understanding of novice therapists’ struggles has the potential to improve the training of counselors and therapists.
The sample in this study consisted of three novice therapists with relation to the University Clinic at Aalborg University. Based on a mixed method design three empirical views on the struggles of the novice therapist are studied.
(1) To search for differences in theoretical psychodynamic knowledge the study compared how novice and experienced therapists differed in the development of prototypes of ideal psychodynamic therapy using the Psychotherapy Process Q-set (Ablon & Jones, 1998). No significant differences were found between the psychodynamic prototypes constructed by experts and novices thereby suggesting that novice therapists are highly skilled with respect to their theoretical psychodynamic knowledge.
(2) The abovementioned prototypes were then used to examine how novice therapists’ actual therapy differed from their ideal psychodynamic understanding. Several significant differences were found between the novice therapists’ psychodynamic prototypes and their actual interventions suggesting that novice therapists have some problems transforming their theoretical knowledge into the practical therapeutic setting.
(3) In the pursuit of defining the specific struggles of the novice therapists a qualitative semistructured interview was finally conducted in combination with the thinkaloud method. Together with the quantitative findings the themes from these interviews are discussed, hereby identifying five stressors of the novice therapist: 1) Problems with self-monitoring, 2) a fragile and incomplete practitioner-self 3) problems with being truly present with the patient, 4) problems with ambiguity, 5) excessive focus on theory. Based on the results of the study, it is suggested that the educational field of psychology should be focusing on an interaction between theory and practice rather than the onesided focus on theory in the contemporary education of psychologists. An apprenticeship model of learning is suggested as an advantageous supplement. The study ends with a discussion concerning whether it is more appropriate to view psychology as a science or a craft.