The Place of Practice: Therapist and Client Perceptions of the Mental Health Treatment Room
Abstract
This phenomenological study was undertaken to further understand the meanings clinical social workers and clients ascribe to psychotherapy offices. Twelve clinical social workers in private practice and eight psychotherapy clients in a large urban city were interviewed about their experiences of their psychotherapy offices. Analysis of the clinical social worker participant interviews identified six themes: (1) comfort, (2) support, (3) clinical insight, (4) empowerment, (5) identity, and (6) connection. Essential themes gathered from the client participant interviews included: (1) comfort and safety, (2) insight into the clinician, (3) engagement, connection and relationship, and (4) object-based assumptions and associations. These results highlight the potential importance of the physical environment in psychotherapy treatment, particularly in the room’s perceived ability to influence relationships.
Subject Area
Therapy|Mental health|Social work
Recommended Citation
Jones, Jamie Keaton, "The Place of Practice: Therapist and Client Perceptions of the Mental Health Treatment Room" (2019). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI13877441.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI13877441
