Qualitative Study of Effective Interventional and Management Strategies for Psychotherapists and Counselors Dealing with Difficult Clients

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to ascertain the experiences of Iranian therapists who dealt with challenging customers and to examine the approaches they utilized. The present research employed a qualitative form of phenomenology as its research methodology. In 2021 and 2022, the community of this study comprised active therapists in Tehran. With the purposeful continuation of sampling until the saturation limit was reached, seventeen therapists were ultimately chosen. The participants were subsequently asked to complete semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed utilizing Colaizzi’s method of descriptive data analysis. Through the examination of the data, 60 primary concepts, 9 sub-themes, and 2 main themes were identified. The overarching theme comprises two components: firstly, efficacious approaches during the therapeutic session (encompassing general therapeutic communication strategies, general individual strategies, specialized strategies pertaining to clients experiencing marital difficulties, specialized strategies pertaining to clients confronting family issues, and specialized strategies pertaining to clients diagnosed with personality disorder); and secondly, successful strategies implemented outside of the session (including general social strategies, support systems. Overall, the findings of this study indicated that clinicians’ approach to challenging clients influences the caliber of care they provide. Therefore, training and a competent supervisor are required in this field.

Keywords

• counselors
• difficult clients
• psychotherapists
• qualitative method
• strategies