The relationship between self-talk and therapy process variables for novice therapists

The purpose of this study was to examine the affect and focus of therapists' self-talk in relation to other therapy process variables, specifically their perceptions of their own helpfulness and their clients' negative reactions, after taking into consideration the perceived strength of the working alliance. Participants included 31 therapists-in-training who listened to an audiotape of a therapy session while completing a thought listing procedure and process measures. Results indicated that self-talk was related to perceptions of the therapy process such that when therapists thought negatively about themselves, they perceived themselves as less helpful and thought their clients were reacting more negatively. The results suggest the importance of both the awareness and management of therapists' self-talk in relation to their perceptions of themselves and their clients.