Walking in Sacred Spaces in the Therapeutic Bond: Therapists' Experiences of Compassion Satisfaction Coupled with the Potential for Vicarious Traumatization

The therapeutic bond is at the heart of effective therapy, yet few studies have examined therapists' experience of this bond. Using a qualitative study design, this exploratory study examines the experiences of couple and family therapists in relation to their perceptions of the satisfactions and risks involved in the therapeutic bond. The research was conducted using grounded theory methodology and eight in‐depth interviews were conducted with therapists working in five counseling agencies in Sydney, Australia. Therapists described the importance of the 3 component parts of the therapeutic bond: the empathic connection between therapist and client; the role investment of the client; and the mutual affirmation experienced by both therapist and client in the therapeutic process. Walking in sacred spaces with the client was seen as both enriching and challenging for the therapist. The therapeutic bond gave therapists intense satisfaction and posed risks for them, especially when working with traumatic client experiences. However, the findings suggest that the experience of compassion satisfaction and the development of vicarious resilience counter‐balanced the intense difficulty of bearing witness to clients' traumatic experiences and the potential for vicarious traumatization. The implications for sustaining couple and family therapists in their work are discussed. 摘要治疗同盟处于有效治疗的中心点,然而鲜有研究调查过治疗师的这种同盟经历。本项探索研究使用定性研究设计考察夫妇和家庭医师在治疗关系中的满意及危险感知经历。本研究使用扎根理论方法,对在澳大利亚悉尼五家咨询机构工作的治疗师做了8个深度访谈。治疗师描述了治疗关系中三个组成部分的重要性:治疗师与客户间的移情联结;客户的角色投入;治疗过程中治疗师和客户都会经历的相互肯定。与客户在圣地漫步对于治疗师来说既充实又具有挑战性。治疗同盟给予治疗师强烈满足,但又给他们带来风险,特别是在处理客户创伤经历的时候。但研究结果表明,同情满足的经历与替代性适应力的发展抵消了见证客户创伤经历的极端困难以及替代性创伤的潜在可能性。文章讨论了保持夫妇与治疗师工作关系的意义。 ResumenEl vínculo terapéutico ocupa un lugar central en la terapia eficaz, sin embargo, pocos estudios han analizado la experiencia de los terapeutas en relación con este vínculo. Mediante un modelo de estudio cualitativo, este estudio exploratorio analiza las experiencias de los terapeutas de pareja y de familia en relación con sus percepciones de las satisfacciones y los riesgos implicados en el vínculo terapéutico. La investigación se llevó a cabo utilizando la metodología de muestreo teórico y se realizaron ocho entrevistas profundas con terapeutas que trabajan en cinco consultorías psicológicas de Sídney, Australia. Los terapeutas explicaron la importancia de las tres partes que componen el vínculo terapéutico: la conexión empática entre el terapeuta y el paciente; la entre