This study was conducted to explore patterns of disclosure of psychotherapy trainees to their supervisors. Specifically, trainees' conscious concealment and distortion of events and feelings that occurred in therapy sessions was investigated. Subjects (N = 93), most of whom were in doctoral programs in clinical psychology, completed a 66item Supervision Questionnaire (SQ) in reference to a supervisor with whom they were working at that time. Results indicated that most supervisees, while usually presenting an honest picture of the interaction with patients, also, at least some of the time, consciously distort and/or conceal some material; as many as 30-40% of supervisees withhold information (e.g., perceived clinical errors) at moderate to high levels of frequency. The findings suggest that nondisclosure, distortion, and concealment may be an inevitable aspect of supervision. Supervision is a critical element of virtually all psychotherapist training in psychology and related fields. As there are many different models for psychotherapy, so too are there different mod-This article is based on a paper presented at the Society for Psychotherapy Research:

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In order to assess the sources and extent of satisfaction, stress, and burnout in suburban teachers, a group of teachers (n = 365) was administered a 65-item Likert-type Teacher Attitude Survey (TAS). Satisfaction consisted of experiences that make teachers feel sensitive to and involved with students as well as colleagues; stresses were related to excessive paperwork, unsuccessful administrative meetings, and the lack of advancement opportunities in teaching. Although the majority of teachers surveyed had not lessened their involvement in their work and were still committed to teaching, 20-25070 appeared vulnerable to burnout, and 10-15% appeared to be already burned out. Most at risk were those at a certain age level (34-44) and those teaching at a junior high school level. Issues that were addressed with respect to burnout included teacher-administrator relationships and teachers' perceived lack of a psychological sense of community.

This study investigated the effects of therapist experience and patient diagnosis on countertransference. A total of 336 therapists completed questionnaires that assessed attitudes regarding emotional reactions in treatment (Experience and Attitude Scale) and reactions to vignettes describing depressed, borderline, and schizophrenic patients (Vignette Rating Scale). Results indicated that, in comparison to experienced clinicians, students and interns!ABDs are more likely to regret saying things to patients, and feel that their emotions are too strong, too frequent, and need to be defended against. Patient diagnosis was found to be significantly related to therapist ratings on 19 of the 20 items on the VRS, with borderline patients evoking the greatest degree of anger and irritation and the least degree of liking, empathy, and nurturance. While there are numerous definitions of countertransference (CT), virtually all emphasize the feelings or conflicts aroused in therapists as they work with patients. Homqvist and Armelius (1996) have suggested that CT has three distinct Based on a paper presented at the Annual Convention, APA, New Yoik, August, 1995.

The present study investigated patterns of satisfactions and stresses in psychotherapeutic work. A heterogeneous sample oj 60 psychotherapists was administered three Likert-type rating scales. Factor analysis of the data revealed that the most satisfying aspects of therapeutic work include promoting growth and change, achieving intimate involvement in the lives of patients, and feeling professionally respected. The most stressful aspects include feeling personally depleted by therapeutic work, coping with pressures inherent in the therapeutic relationship, and dealing with difficult working conditions. In addition, stressful patient behaviors were found to cluster into two distinct categories: overtly psychopathological symptoms and resistant behaviors. Patterns of satisfactions and stresses were also found to be related to certain therapist background variables such as gender, profession, case load, setting, and experience level.Psychotherapy has been viewed by its practitioners as work that offers both intrinsic satisfactions and stresses (Burton, 1972;Greben, 1975;Rogow, 1970). Anticipated satisfactions such as "helping people," "feeling socially useful," and "feeling financially secure" (Rogow, 1970) have undoubtedly contributed to the continued popularity of psychotherapy as a career choice for students. On the other hand, therapeutic work is undeniably difficult and personally taxing. Freud (1964) wrote of the "dangers of analysis," referring to the potential psychic distress that analytic work could create for the analyst. Other sources of stress identified in the literature include the enforced isolation of therapeutic work, the pressure of constant "giving," lack of status in relationship to other professional groups, the perceived rigidity and detachment of colleagues, and doubts about the efficacy of the treatment process (

The present study focuses on the phenomenon of therapist burnout-a problem of rapidly increasing public and professional concern. Two-hour semistructured interviews were conducted with a heterogeneous group of psychotherapists (N = 60) in order to investigate their experiences of therapeutic practice. According to therapists, professional satisfaction derives from the ability to promote a helpful therapeutic relationship; dissatisfaction stems primarily from lack of therapeutic success; and burnout is primarily a consequence of the nonreciprocated attentiveness, giving, and responsibility demanded by the therapeutic relationship. The data suggest that although therapists expect their work to be difficult and even stressful, they also expect their efforts to "pay off." Burnout is not only psychologically debilitating to therapists, it also critically impairs the delivery of mental health services.As part of a comprehensive project to investigate the effects of psychotherapy on psychotherapists, the present study was designed to focus on the phenomenon of therapist burnout. Freudenberger (1974) originally coined the term burnout to describe the emotional and physical exhaustion of staff members of alternative health care institutions. In recent years a small but growing number of investigators have studied the burnout phenomenon (

Research shows that whereas most patients disclose deeply personal experiences in therapy, a significant proportion conceal some significant information. Findings also indicate that there are several categories of nondisclosed information (secrets, things left unsaid, and client reactions); that patients tend to withhold immediately experienced negative reactions; that disliked characteristics of oneself and parents are among the most thoroughly discussed issues in therapy while sex, aggression, and personal failure are least discussed; that men and women disclose to the same extent and on similar topics; that shame inhibits disclosure of negative affect; that a strong therapeutic alliance, overall tendency to be disclosing, and time in therapy facilitate disclosure; and that the discrepancy between disclosure and patients' ratings of salience of disclosure is a more powerful predictor of outcome than disclosure alone.