Introduction
The purpose of this article is to give readers an understanding of Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR). The article highlights the importance of supervision. The origins of IPR, memory recall and behaviour, approach-avoidance syndrome, clinical naiveté, tuning-out, recording therapy sessions, facilitating IPR and the limitations of IPR are discussed.
Supervision
Learning about yourself is essential to be an effective counsellor, understanding your personal triggers and taking responsibility of learning from key events in life is essential to have longevity and success as a counsellor, (Johns, 1996, Corey, 2013). Working as a therapist can be an isolating, difficult occupation (McLeod, 2013), however supervision, provides…show more content… Ligiero and Gelso (2002 cited by Foster et al, 2014, p.3) illustrate how “Avoidance of client material or withdrawal from personal involvement”, affect the therapeutic relationship. Corey, (2013) highlighted how avoiding painful aspects of his life resulted in an avoidance of challenging clients’ who were depressed. Blocking occurs because the therapist does not want to engage with the client at a certain therapeutic level, (Cashwell, 1994). The therapist receives information from the client and not being afraid is able to provide a therapeutic encounter for the client, (Kagan, 1975, p.89). The use of personal therapy is a necessary and important process in helping us understand our personal triggers, (Corey, 2013). The author as a student encountered this process and through personal therapy and IPR discovered personal triggers which originated from childhood, consequential resulting in an understanding of the countertransference occurring. IPR facilitates and enhances the “Interpersonal relational dynamics in therapeutic alliances, including countertransference”, (Foster et al, 2014 p.2). Avoidance can occur by either “Feigning of clinical naiveté (or) tuning-out”, (Kagan, 1975, p.