ABSTRACT
Self-doubt, in combination with self-compassion, is likely the door to self-reflection and a genuine acknowledgement of both personal limitations and the inherent difficulties of therapy with people with complex issues. By being more accepting, therapists will be in a better position to share, discuss, and model useful stances towards uncertainty, all of which provides an invaluable modelling for the client who is developing new skills in relation to being with uncertainty and practising defusion and acceptance. Along with modelling this stance, this also suggests that this affects how therapists interact with their clients. Therapist self-compassion increases the likelihood that the ambiguity is not seen as the problem to be eliminated, but a natural part of the human interaction. The researchers found that those therapists who were kinder to themselves and more self-compassionate did even better in client outcomes. The researchers knowingly titled their study, ‘Love yourself as a person, and doubt yourself as a therapist’.
