| Psychotherapy research could benefit from attention focusing on the qualities of the therapist that are beneficial to therapy as well as how to cultivate these qualities (Norcross, 2002). Empathy and the ability to quell one's anxiety with clients are known to impact therapy in positive ways. Presence, being grounded in oneself and one's experiences while maintaining attunement to another person, is a relatively uninvestigated therapist quality, but there is preliminary evidence that suggests its importance (Geller & Greenberg, 2002). While mindfulness, a nonjudgmental moment-to-moment awareness of one's experience (Kabat-Zinn, 1997), has been shown to have a range of benefits to individuals, it has not been investigated with respect to psychotherapists. This study was an in-depth mixed methods case design investigating the relationships between therapist mindfulness and presence with empathy, anxiety and session progress from the point of view of the therapist and the client. Quantitative findings show that therapist mindfulness and presence were related to the criterion variables in the expected directions. The qualitative data suggest a number of ways in which therapists might cultivate presence, empathy and reduce their anxiety during sessions with clients. The emerging theory from the quantitative and qualitative data is that by being aware of one's experience in a nonjudgmental way, the therapist is more effective in his/her relationship with the client. Because therapist training involves a strong emphasis on outward attention to the client, these findings will hopefully shed light on the necessity for a balance between outwardly and inwardly attending. |
