Leveraging the Clinical Importance of the Therapist as a Person in Family Therapy

ABSTRACT

Many pioneering family therapists exuded exemplary personal characteristics that at many instances were incorporated into their clinical work and theoretical approaches to psychotherapy. While such therapist effects have been traditionally less researched compared with the vast literature on the efficacy of techniques, they are of increased empirical attention, especially given the common factors of psychotherapy change and related process research. To explicate these therapist effects, empirical studies within the fields of marriage and family therapy specifically and psychotherapy more broadly are reviewed concerning those personal characteristics that are linked to or are postulated to be associated with therapeutic success. Following a brief synthesis of this literature, two family therapy pioneers, Carl Whitaker and Salvador Minuchin, are reviewed, concerning their personality attributes and characteristics that were highlights of their approaches and their personal and professional lives. Following a comparison of these two therapists, the manuscript closes with reflections for future psychotherapy research, for training initiatives, and for clinicians.

KEYWORDS:

• Therapist effects
• process research
• Carl Whitaker
• Salvador Minuchin

Acknowledgments

The first author acknowledges Dr. Monica Oala, Ph.D., for introducing this topic during a graduate seminar course on family therapy. The first author is grateful that this research was supported by a doctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Disclosure statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Author contributions

The manuscript was reviewed, and edits were suggested, by Shanna Williams, which were incorporated. Mentorship discussions were provided by Jessica Ruglis with the first author about the therapeutic importance of relationships, in line with her areas of expertise in participatory action research and community partnerships, before the conception of this study, and inspired the frame within which to write this manuscript. Jerry Middleton wrote the entire manuscript as a component of his doctoral dissertation, collated the material within the manuscript, and analyzed, synthesized, and provided the conclusions provided in it.

Data availability statement

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this manuscript and its references, by consulting the originally published literature that is cited within this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a doctoral fellowship to Jerry Middleton from SSHRC.