Master of Arts (Counselling & Guidance)

This qualitative research study was conducted to explore the personal characteristics and therapy practices of therapists working within hospital settings in Singapore. Seven therapists were selected using a combination of convenience and snowball sampling techniques. The study was carried out by conducting audiotaped face-to-face interviews for sixty to ninety minutes, of which the respondents had to respond to 18 open-ended questions designed to highlight the personal characteristics and therapy practices of Singaporean master therapists. Thematic analysis was employed to identify common characteristics among these therapists. Twenty four themes were organized into five categories: (a) Personal Characteristics (Empathic, Respectful, Flexible, Being open and non-judgmental, Genuineness, Being present); (b) Developmental influences (Experience, Self-awareness, and Humility); (c) Approach to practice (Primacy of Therapeutic alliance, Combination of art and science, Use of measurement tools in judging the therapy effectiveness, Providing a safe environment, Knowledge of multicultural context, Involvement of multidisciplinary team, Empowerment / strengths-focused); (d) Personal growth (Importance of therapist self-care, Transformation of the self, Importance of self-reflexivity); (e) Ongoing professional growth (Professional development practices, Good system of supervision, Involvement in research and publication, Challenges to professional development in Singapore, Having a good mentor).