Humanistic psychotherapy training: Significant experiences contributing to the perceived competency development of exceptional humanistic psychotherapists

This study explored significant experiences of exceptional humanistic psychotherapists in humanistic psychotherapy training that contributed to their perceived competency development. A theoretical training model, reflective of these significant experiences, resulted from the study.;Participants were 14 exceptional humanistic psychotherapists from throughout the United States and Canada. In videotaped interviews, they were asked to describe their significant experiences in humanistic psychotherapy training, and identify how these experiences contributed to their competency development. The transcribed interviews were analyzed qualitatively by means of a grounded theory approach (Glaser, 1978, 1992; Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Rennie, Phillips, & Quartaro, 1988).;The analysis revealed that the participants were enormously influenced by experiences in humanistic psychotherapy training. The findings reflect diversity of experiences, but reveal strong similarities among significant aspects of training. The resultant training model represents the relationship and complex interplay between two core categories: (a) flow of excitement, which was conceptualized to represent the ubiquitous state of arousal; and (b) centrality of experiential training, which was conceptualized to represent the experiential aspect of training. Flow of excitement subsumed the two domain categories of galvanizing forces of excitement and expanding and sustaining excitement, and six subcategories. Centrality of experiential training subsumed the six domain categories of legacy of trainers, embodiment of client role, experience of therapist role, growth via negative experiences, synergy of training group, and enrichment from diverse roles, and 12 subcategories. The 2 core, 8 domain, and 18 subcategories were conceived to represent the major foci of participants' perception of their significant experiences contributing to competency development.;Although the literature is rich with description of humanistic training models, this study is distinctive in its systematic examination of competency development from the perspectives of 14 exceptional humanistic psychotherapists using a qualitative, grounded theory research approach. The training model that emerged enlarges the limited body of knowledge on humanistic psychotherapy training and has implications for the effective training of humanistic psychotherapists. The theoretical and practical implications of the model and recommendations for future research are discussed.