A Transcendental Phenomenological Study to Explore the Lived Experiences of Licensed Mental Health Professionals Who Have Had a Rupture in the Therapeutic Relationship

The therapeutic relationship is an essential component in overarching treatment outcomes. This relationship involves the experience of interpersonal exchanges and elements of emotional expressions for a client and licensed mental health professional throughout the counseling process. The licensed mental health professional role requires a strong clinical skill set and ethical standards of practice. Safety and trust are two essential requirements within this professional role. Best practice standards foster an experience and atmosphere of development and a strong foundation for the relationship. This transcendental phenomenological qualitative research study captures overarching descriptions to understand the lived experiences of licensed mental health professionals who have had a rupture in the therapeutic relationship by using the Van Kaam’s modified approach by Moustakas. Interviews with six licensed mental health professionals utilizing a semi-structured format adhering to Moustakas’ data collection and analysis offered data that creates significant themes to illuminate the participants’ lived experience. Data collection and analysis were guided by one main research question: “What are the lived experiences of licensed mental health professionals who have experienced a therapeutic rupture?” The scarceness of research necessitates learning the essence and phenomenon of how ruptures impact licensed mental health professionals within the therapeutic relationship. This examination offers new insights to current counselor education, counseling professional roles, training, and ethical obligations.