Meaning in life experience of clients at the start of psychotherapy
Experiencing life as meaningful is an important aspect of well-being. This study investigated profiles of meaning based on the presence of meaning and the search for meaning in clients at the start of psychotherapy (N=145).
By means of cluster analysis, four distinct meaning profiles were identified. These profiles of meaning differed in symptomatology: clients in the profiles low on presence of meaning experienced higher psychological distress. There were no differences between the profiles on therapeutic alliance perception. The results showed that meaning related questions are important for a substantial group of clients in the beginning of therapy.
The study was carried out by Nadezhda Golovchanova and colleagues while she was working on her research master’s degree at KU Leuven (Belgium) and is recently published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Golovchanova, N., Dezutter, J., & Vanhooren, S. (2020). Meaning profiles and the perception of the working alliance at the start of outpatient person‐centered, experiential, and existential psychotherapies. Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Contact: Nadezhda Golovchanova
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