A grounded theory methodology, justified by the logic of methodical hermeneutics, was employed to guide both the collection and analysis of data produced from interviews with 11 psychotherapy clients who reported having unsuccessful experiences. Ultimately, I put forth the Clients Helical Path as a theoretical model grounded in clients' unsuccessful therapy experiences. The theory subsumes four subcategories: three cyclically-related subcategory processes (Embarking, Evaluating, and Ending), and a fourth category (Familiarity) that provides a temporal/experiential dimension. Clients embark upon a course of therapy with certain expectations; they later evaluate their experience on the basis of these expectations, and then end therapy when they adjudicate it as not sufficiently successful. Clients' familiarity with the enterprise of therapy is enhanced with each successive therapy experience, and this familiarity implicates clients' subsequent expectations, evaluations, and endings. The theory contextualizes clients experiences of unsuccessful therapy at the level of the individual, rather at the level of the course of therapy, thereby providing an understanding for how past therapy experiences influence future ones. This feature of the theory represents a significant departure from and contribution to the existing psychotherapy research literature. I discuss the unique nature and utility of the theory, its overlap with existing empirical findings, as well as its limitations. I suggest directions for future research, and I provide multiple credibility checks.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:SSU.etd-09012003-222845 |
| Date | 02 September 2003 |
| Creators | Shaw, Stephen C. |
| Contributors | McMullen, Linda, McDougall, Patricia, Chartier, Brian M., Blackshaw, Stella, Rennie, David |
| Publisher | University of Saskatchewan |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-09012003-222845/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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