ABSTRACT
In a comprehensive study, researchers David Orlinsky from the University of Chicago and Helge Ronnestad from the University of Oslo made an in-depth investigation of how therapists experience their work and professional development. Most therapists do indeed want to improve, but without reliable feedback on one’s own performance this becomes virtually impossible. Daryl Chow’s first challenge was to connect with enough therapists within the same organization who had received feedback on a regular basis about the progress of clients. The amount of time the therapists spent on solitary practice to improve their therapeutic skills, however, was a significant predictor for the results. The discrepancy between what the therapists had expected and the feedback may prompt the hypercorrection effect. In Chow’s study, “surprised by the clients’ feedback” was negatively correlated with the therapists’ assessment of healing involvement. Acquiring feedback is only the beginning of becoming a better therapist.
