8 TPC Digest Self-awareness is a fundamental part of the counseling profession. Counselor educators often recommend self-growth experiences such as personal counseling to increase counselor trainees’ selfawareness in preparation for professional practice. Counselor self-awareness relates to awareness of the counseling relationship; such awareness may be helpful to client satisfaction and growth. In addition to increasing self-awareness, some counselors may seek personal therapy due to mental health concerns. Compassion fatigue, difficult clinical work, and interpersonal struggles may put counselors at risk for mental health concerns related to occupational and personal stressors. The psychological needs of counselors coupled with the emphasis on gaining self-awareness highlight the necessity for counselors’ personal therapy. Scarce research exists regarding counselors’ decision-making processes in seeking personal therapy. The following questions guided our phenomenological inquiry: 1) What contributes to counselors’ decisions to seek personal therapy? and 2) How do professional counselors make meaning of their experiences in utilizing personal therapy? We interviewed 13 professional counselors who had seen a professional mental health therapist within the last 3 years and analyzed the data using descriptive phenomenology. The research team identified six major themes and 11 subthemes. Participants detailed their motivations for starting personal therapy, citing mental health concerns like grief, trauma, and life transitions. They sought therapists based on both practical factors like location and affordability and quality attributes such as credentials and experience. Therapy led to cognitive and emotional growth, reduced distress, and improved emotional regulation. This growth extended to interpersonal relationships, both personal and professional, with improved boundaries and connections. The therapeutic alliance fostered healing through nurturing, normalization, vulnerability, and transference experiences. Despite challenges like financial barriers and stigma, participants generally found therapy beneficial, though some struggled with the dual role of client and counselor. Based on our findings, we offer several suggestions for mental health professionals who may encounter clients who are professional counselors. Interventions related to goals and focus of treatment, reflective questions, stigma reduction, and policy changes are recommended. For example, participants emphasized the challenge of role adjustment when in a client role; it could be beneficial for clinicians to address this shift in power dynamics within the counseling relationship. Strategies like the Wheel of Wellness Model and self-care interventions can aid counselors in balancing personal and professional concerns. Normalizing stigma around seeking counseling among counselors is crucial; incorporating anti-stigma interventions in training and professional development can help. Additionally, mandating personal therapy postgraduate training, akin to continuing education credits, could reduce stigma and promote counselor wellness. This study underscores the importance of supporting counselors in therapy and advocating for policy changes to enhance their well-being. In sum, counselors face many challenges in their clinical work, including occupational stressors and the need for selfawareness. The current descriptive phenomenological study serves to provide an understanding of the lived experiences of counselors who utilize personal therapy, including their motives to engage and meaning made while engaged. We offer direct clinical suggestions within the counseling relationship, steps to reduce stigma, and recommendations for facilitating self-care strategies among counselor trainees and professional counselors directly from the voices of counselors who have accessed personal therapy. Dax Bevly, PhD, is core faculty at Antioch University Seattle. Elizabeth A. Prosek, PhD, NCC, LPC, is an associate professor at The Pennsylvania State University. Correspondence may be addressed to Dax Bevly, Antioch University Seattle, School of Applied Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy, 2400 3rd Ave #200, Seattle, WA 98121, dbevly@antioch.edu. Dax Bevly, Elizabeth A. Prosek A Phenomenological Exploration of Counselors’ Experiences in Personal Therapy 8 TPC Digest
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