Psychotherapy Expertise in Singapore

Personal characteristics, developmental influences, and therapy practices of nine peer-nominated expert psychotherapists practicing in the diverse country of Singapore were identified using qualitative methods. Sixteen themes were organized within four categories: (1) personal characteristics (empathic, nonjudgmental, and respectful), (2) developmental influences (experience, self-awareness, humility, and self-doubt), (3) approach to practice (balance between support and challenge, flexible therapeutic stance, empowerment/strength-based approach, primacy of the therapeutic alliance, comfortable addressing spirituality, and embraces working within a multicultural context), and (4) ongoing professional growth (professional development practices, benefits of teaching/training others, and challenges to professional development in Singapore). Cross-cultural comparisons between this study and Jennings and Skovholt’s 1999 study of Minnesota expert psychotherapists found considerable overlap of themes. Implications for research and practice of psychotherapy are offered.