What does a client receive from a psychotherapist?

• Main Authors: Orlov A.B., Orlova N.A., Permogorskij M.S.
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Moscow State University of Psychology and Education 2012-04-01
• Series: Консультативная психология и психотерапия
• Subjects: psychologist-psychotherapist; client; psychotherapy; advice; trialogical approach to psychotherapy and counseling
• Online Access: http://psyjournals.ru/en/mpj/2012/n2/58843.shtml

In this article the authors, developing the thesis of the therapeutic interaction as unconventional social communicative practice, answer on two questions: "What kind of communication that does not lead to giving advice?" and "What, then, gives psychologist-psychotherapist (if anything does) to the client?". According to the authors' trialogical approach to psychotherapy and counseling the degree of personalization-personification of the participants' mental structures in the communication is main differentiating parameter. The representations of the five levels of psychotherapeutic communication showed that the therapeutic (personified) communication is characterized by the primacy of listening on speaking and emotional content (emotions and feelings) on the cognitive content (data, information), as well as unconditional regard, empathy, congruence and ... covenant; whereas the conventional (personalized) communication, in contrast, is characterized by the primacy of speaking on listening and cognitive content on the emotional content, judgments, unempathy, incongruence, and as a result the advisе.