Modulating effect of experience and theoretical-technical orientation on the personal style of the therapist

Abstract

This work studies relations between personal style of the therapist (PST), years of professional experience, therapist's theoretical-technical orientation (psychoanalytical, cognitive, integrative), and length of treatment. The purpose is to establish the extent to which these variables act as modulators of the functions that make up PST. The self-descriptive Personal Style of the Therapist Questionnaire (Fernández-Alvarez, García, Lo Bianco, & Corbella, 2003) was administered to 206 Argentinian psychotherapists subdivided according to 3 orientations: psychoanalytical (n=46), cognitive (n=44), and integrative (n=116). Corresponding intra- and intergroup analyses were also conducted. The authors found significant statistical differences in the PST composition of each group of psychotherapists. In addition, years of experience had a partial modulating effect on the evolution of PST functions in each specific orientation. There were also significant statistical differences between therapists in 2 of the PST functions. Therapists who prefer short-term treatments described themselves as instructionally more flexible with a narrower focus.