This qualitative phenomenological study involved an exploration of the lived experiences of 10 licensed therapists with substantial encounters with resistant clients. The phenomenon under investigation is relevant to those working in the mental health industry because resistance in psychotherapy is a common challenge. It is not a matter of if a therapist will encounter resistant clients, it is a matter of when. The goal in this qualitative study was to discover how the 10 participants, all of whom were experienced therapists, navigated through resistance; to identify the methods and procedures they used; and to compile their successful approaches and methods into recommendations for supervisees, supervisors, and counseling educators. The findings of this study revealed therapists’ perceptions of resistance depended on their own theoretical orientation. Also, therapists providing mandated counseling were more likely to encounter resistance than were those providing voluntary therapy. Results also showed resistance to therapy is not all negative, but a positive indication of effective therapy as opposed to a passive response to therapy. Other findings that emerged in this study included that motivational interviewing is an effective approach in encouraging ambivalent clients. Though resistance in therapy is a challenge to therapists across various modalities, it can develop the acumen of therapists when they persevere. Finally, some suggestions were advanced to clinicians and counseling educators and areas for future study were recommended.
","abstract_html":"<p>This qualitative phenomenological study involved an exploration of the lived experiences of 10 licensed therapists with substantial encounters with resistant clients. The phenomenon under investigation is relevant to those working in the mental health industry because resistance in psychotherapy is a common challenge. It is not a matter of if a therapist will encounter resistant clients, it is a matter of when. The goal in this qualitative study was to discover how the 10 participants, all of whom were experienced therapists, navigated through resistance; to identify the methods and procedures they used; and to compile their successful approaches and methods into recommendations for supervisees, supervisors, and counseling educators. The findings of this study revealed therapists’ perceptions of resistance depended on their own theoretical orientation. Also, therapists providing mandated counseling were more likely to encounter resistance than were those providing voluntary therapy. Results also showed resistance to therapy is not all negative, but a positive indication of effective therapy as opposed to a passive response to therapy. Other findings that emerged in this study included that motivational interviewing is an effective approach in encouraging ambivalent clients. Though resistance in therapy is a challenge to therapists across various modalities, it can develop the acumen of therapists when they persevere. Finally, some suggestions were advanced to clinicians and counseling educators and areas for future study were recommended.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ibebunjo, Elisha"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Joffrey Suprina","Marguerite Chabau"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:05Z","subjects":["Examining","therapist's","Experience","with","resistant","clients","Human Factors Psychology","Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/580","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Joffrey Suprina","Marguerite Chabau"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Ibebunjo, Elisha"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-07-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Examining","therapist's","Experience","with","resistant","clients","Human Factors Psychology","Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/580"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This qualitative phenomenological study involved an exploration of the lived experiences of 10 licensed therapists with substantial encounters with resistant clients. The phenomenon under investigation is relevant to those working in the mental health industry because resistance in psychotherapy is a common challenge. It is not a matter of if a therapist will encounter resistant clients, it is a matter of when. The goal in this qualitative study was to discover how the 10 participants, all of whom were experienced therapists, navigated through resistance; to identify the methods and procedures they used; and to compile their successful approaches and methods into recommendations for supervisees, supervisors, and counseling educators. The findings of this study revealed therapists’ perceptions of resistance depended on their own theoretical orientation. Also, therapists providing mandated counseling were more likely to encounter resistance than were those providing voluntary therapy. Results also showed resistance to therapy is not all negative, but a positive indication of effective therapy as opposed to a passive response to therapy. Other findings that emerged in this study included that motivational interviewing is an effective approach in encouraging ambivalent clients. Though resistance in therapy is a challenge to therapists across various modalities, it can develop the acumen of therapists when they persevere. Finally, some suggestions were advanced to clinicians and counseling educators and areas for future study were recommended.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Examining Therapist Experience with Resistant Clients"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Joffrey Suprina","Marguerite Chabau"],"dc:creator":["Ibebunjo, Elisha"],"dc:date.available":["2021-07-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This qualitative phenomenological study involved an exploration of the lived experiences of 10 licensed therapists with substantial encounters with resistant clients. The phenomenon under investigation is relevant to those working in the mental health industry because resistance in psychotherapy is a common challenge. It is not a matter of if a therapist will encounter resistant clients, it is a matter of when. The goal in this qualitative study was to discover how the 10 participants, all of whom were experienced therapists, navigated through resistance; to identify the methods and procedures they used; and to compile their successful approaches and methods into recommendations for supervisees, supervisors, and counseling educators. The findings of this study revealed therapists’ perceptions of resistance depended on their own theoretical orientation. Also, therapists providing mandated counseling were more likely to encounter resistance than were those providing voluntary therapy. Results also showed resistance to therapy is not all negative, but a positive indication of effective therapy as opposed to a passive response to therapy. Other findings that emerged in this study included that motivational interviewing is an effective approach in encouraging ambivalent clients. Though resistance in therapy is a challenge to therapists across various modalities, it can develop the acumen of therapists when they persevere. Finally, some suggestions were advanced to clinicians and counseling educators and areas for future study were recommended.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/580"],"dc:subject":["Examining","therapist's","Experience","with","resistant","clients","Human Factors Psychology","Psychology"],"dc:title":["Examining Therapist Experience with Resistant Clients"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:05Z"}