Mental Health Professionals’ Tendencies towards Seeking Personal Therapy

Mental health professionals worldwide are exposed to high levels of stress, which puts them at risk of burnout if self-care is not adequately pursued. One way of self-care is seeking personal therapy. Personal therapy emerged after Freud emphasized its importance and recommended that psychotherapists should return periodically to their therapy without feeling ashamed about it. Nevertheless, several controversies have ensued, with various attitudes being reported in different countries. This study assessed the tendencies of mental health professionals toward seeking personal therapy. A cross-sectional design was used with a sample of 156 Egyptian mental health professionals through an online survey. Findings suggested that the experiences of personal therapy increased the therapist’s practice and outcomes with their clients. Additionally, a statistically significant difference was found between professionals of Gestalt/person-centered orientation, whereas no statistically significant difference was found between professionals of psychodynamic/psychoanalytic, CBT, psychodrama, and other theoretical orientations. To conclude, personal therapy has a positive impact on therapists’ well-being and their practice. In their professional and personal development, it makes them excel in core and advanced skills and build appropriate relationships with their clients, which is required for effective practice. Further quantitative and qualitative studies are needed to determine the generalizability of the findings of the current study.