Volume 21, Issue 1
Personal Style of the Therapist Within Different Regions in Guatemala
Abstract
The Personal Style of the Therapist (PST) is a multidimensional construct that is present throughout the therapeutic process and is based on the communication competences of the therapist. The Personal Style of the Therapist Questionnaire (PST-Q) was administered to 101 therapists; 73% female, 27% male, 21% indigenous and 77% not indigenous, that work in the rural and urban areas (interior). The results indicate that there is a wide diversity among those who seek psychotherapy in the interior of the country and the reasons for the consultations are wide. During the analysis of the personal styles of the therapists working in the interior as one single group, it was found that the operational and expressive dimensions were the highest. This evidences that the Guatemalan therapists maintain a high level of closeness with their clients. At the same time, the framework in which they work is flexible. The therapists show a tendency of having a comfortable work environment with standard treatments, while the level of involvement tends to be low and their attention tends to be open rather than focalized.
Keywords
personal style of the therapist, multicultural, mental health, communication means, ethnicity