In recent years we assist in psychotherapy research to a growing interest in studying the professional development of psychotherapists. The study of the characteristics of psychotherapists considered experts is an important contribution to this field. The aim of this study is to analyze the narratives of 20 expert psychotherapists from different theoretical orientations (cognitive-behavioral, constructivist, humanistic, psychoanalytic and systemic) about their personal and professional development along their clinical practice. In the analysis two major themes emerged. In this article we present the results of the second theme examined, the stages of development and changes of the psychotherapist organized in two sub-themes, namely (a) steps and changes in development of psychotherapists working in the professional domain, (b) steps and changes in development of psychotherapists in the personal domain. The findings underline the need to consider the changes in the personal and professional development in the study of the integral development of the psychotherapist.
Psychotherapy; Qualitative study; Personnel training; Professional development
