Psykoterapeuters livsomställningar - en pendling mellan det privata och det professionella

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study was to describe how life changes in psychotherapists’ own lives have affected their work. The topic was explored with a qualitative approach. The method was reflecting conversation. The result mainly illustrated how psychotherapists’ life changes and crises had affected them personally, rather than professionally. The psychotherapists mainly shared how life changes had led to a deepened sense of empathy. Sometimes the life changes had been such a burden that the psychotherapists had had to change his/her work conditions. During the process our awareness was strengthened regarding the importance of allowing people to tell in their own way about significant life changes in their lives that had threatened their inner representations of themselves or others. To take part of these narratives was a reminder that psychotherapists are just as vulnerable as patients when stricken by life changes. However, psychotherapists sometimes have a dual responsibility – to take care of patients’ crises, at the same time as their own. The concluding recommendation therefore is to include discussions about what happens when the psychotherapist is in crisis in the training programs for psychotherapy.