Most of the research related to psychotherapy is about modality, treatments and therapeutic outcomes. There is little research on the psychotherapists themselves; their subjective experiences, their preparation or personal development. Personal growth, which leads to a developmental level permitting self-reflection and relational ability, is considered by the psychotherapy profession to be an important aspect of the psychotherapist's education. This hermeneutic study focuses on students' experience of personal growth during a formal psychotherapy educational programme. The core of the thesis is the presentation of the students' lived experience during training. Recent graduates of psychotherapy programmes were interviewed and their accounts include the process of personal growth, in what ways the developmental journey was felt to be supportive and containing, ways graduates feel changed, the impact on their lives during and after the training, and the meanings they ascribe to the experience. The particular growth experiences of Maori graduates are to some degree explored, as are the experiences of psychotherapy teachers who facilitate personal development. Themes emerged from data analysis; personal growth did happen, was felt to be positive, and took place as a journey. The growth process was turbulent, painful, yet resulted in positive outcomes for the graduates. Love and relationship were experienced as the most significant catalyst in promoting growth towards key outcomes. It was felt that bicultural learning activities enhanced and supported growth for Maori and non-Maori. The nature and complexity of love is discussed; including the place of love in personal change, psychotherapy and psychotherapy training. The discomfort commonly experienced in the profession around describing the therapeutic relationship as one involving love is highlighted. Possible reasons are given for this, for not using the word love in psychotherapy. Implications for psychotherapy education arising from the research are presented; with questions about, and recommendations for, facilitating personal growth, and the utilisation of love in a more open and conscious manner as a part of psychotherapy training. Currently most preparation of psychotherapists occurs in mainstream academic institutions, with a movement in the profession towards more formal qualifications. It is a challenge for educators and students alike to continue to include in traditional academic structures and processes what is felt to be the essence of psychotherapy; love and relationship, the practice of which requires high levels of personal development.

Most of the research related to psychotherapy is about modality, treatments and therapeutic outcomes. There is little research on the psychotherapists themselves; their subjective experiences, their preparation or personal development. Personal growth, which leads to a developmental level permitting self-reflection and relational ability, is considered by the psychotherapy profession to be an important aspect of the psychotherapist's education. This hermeneutic study focuses on students' experience of personal growth during a formal psychotherapy educational programme. The core of the thesis is the presentation of the students' lived experience during training. Recent graduates of psychotherapy programmes were interviewed and their accounts include the process of personal growth, in what ways the developmental journey was felt to be supportive and containing, ways graduates feel changed, the impact on their lives during and after the training, and the meanings they ascribe to the experience. The particular growth experiences of Maori graduates are to some degree explored, as are the experiences of psychotherapy teachers who facilitate personal development. Themes emerged from data analysis; personal growth did happen, was felt to be positive, and took place as a journey. The growth process was turbulent, painful, yet resulted in positive outcomes for the graduates. Love and relationship were experienced as the most significant catalyst in promoting growth towards key outcomes. It was felt that bicultural learning activities enhanced and supported growth for Maori and non-Maori. The nature and complexity of love is discussed; including the place of love in personal change, psychotherapy and psychotherapy training. The discomfort commonly experienced in the profession around describing the therapeutic relationship as one involving love is highlighted. Possible reasons are given for this, for not using the word love in psychotherapy. Implications for psychotherapy education arising from the research are presented; with questions about, and recommendations for, facilitating personal growth, and the utilisation of love in a more open and conscious manner as a part of psychotherapy training. Currently most preparation of psychotherapists occurs in mainstream academic institutions, with a movement in the profession towards more formal qualifications. It is a challenge for educators and students alike to continue to include in traditional academic structures and processes what is felt to be the essence of psychotherapy; love and relationship, the practice of which requires high levels of personal development.

Den här studien undersöker egna resurser och ideal som fyra studerande på den grundläggande utbildningen i psykoterapi vid Sankt Lukas utbildningsinstitut ger uttryck för. Vidare intresserar sig studien för hur de fyra studerandes uttryckta resurser och ideal överensstämmer med CER-modellen av Skovholt och Rønnestad. CER-modellen beskriver vad som gör en psykoterapeut framgångsrik, en så kallad master therapist. Undersökningsmaterialet består av åtta intervjuer som ingår i ett forskningsprojekt som är ett samarbete mellan Sankt Lukas utbildningsinstitut och Psykologiska institutionen vid Stockholms universitet och som fokuserar på frågan: Vad händer med studenter under en psykoterapi- och psykoterapeututbildning? Materialet har bearbetats enligt en deskriptiv metod och har sedan prövats mot CER-modellens kriterier. Resultatet visar på flera uttryckta ideal och resurser som på ett påtagligt vis överensstämmer med kriterierna i CER-modellen. De ideal som tydligast framträder handlar om viljan att lära, att växa som människa, att bli medveten om den egna personen samt att kunna förhålla sig på ett realistiskt sätt till gränssättningar. Resultatet i denna studie visar på en samstämmighet både med tidigare forskning kring vad som anses vara verksamt i psykoterapi och visar på överensstämmelser med CER-modellen och kan med fördel användas av utbildningsinstitut för att aktivt arbeta med att definiera ideal och sammanhang för sina studerande också i syfte att bjuda in till en kritisk diskussion inom professionsgemenskapen om vad dess ideal rymmer och vad de förbiser. / This paper examines the personal resources and ideals expressed by four students at the basic psychotherapy training at the Sankt Lukas institute. Furthermore, the study deals with the correspondence between the expressed resources and ideals of the four students and the CER model by Skovholt and Rønnestad. The CER model describes what it is that makes a psychotherapist successful, a so-called master therapist. The research material consists of eight interviews that are part of a research project, a collaboration between the Sankt Lukas institute and the Department of psychology at Stockholm University, and focuses on the question: What happens to students during psychotherapy and psychotherapist training? The material has been processed in accordance with a descriptive method and then tested against the criteria of the CER model. The result shows several expressed ideals and resources that correspond substantially with the CER model criteria. The ideals that show up most prominently deal with the desire to learn, to grow as a human being, to become aware of oneself, and to be able to realistically relate to the definition of boundaries. The result in this study indicates a concurrence both with previous research on what is considered to be efficient in psychotherapy and with the CER model, and it may very well be used by educational/training institutes in order to actively promote the defining of ideals and contexts to their students, thus also inviting a critical discussion within the professional community on the content of these ideals and what they may overlook.