A training therapy that comprises a minimum of 50 sessions is an obligatory part of the training of psychotherapists and psychiatrists in the Netherlands. The character, organisation and practice of this personal therapy is the result of wishes, aspirations and compromises. As a result, in analysing the functions, targets, roles and meanings of the personal therapy a number of dilemmas are coming to the surface that could hamper the performance and the results of this part of the training. The most important of these is the obscurity about the status of this therapy as either a curative psychotherapy or as a learning experience.
In this article, the pros and cons of the obligatory personal therapy, and a number of problematic aspects are being considered. Furthermore, the results of a workshop with members of the VCgP on this subject and a questionnaire are being exposed. In this way more light is shed on the practice of this part of training.
Further reflection about the complicated context of the `learning therapy' is being advocated in the first place. And secondly, a reflection about the necessary requirements in order to be acknowledged as a training therapist is urgently advised.
The tPeP (Journal Person-centered experiential Psychotherapy) is the scientific journal for Dutch and Flemish psychotherapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists, that work from, or are interested in a client-centered perspective.