That’s My Professional Identity: A Therapist From the Adlerian Depth Perspective

Abstract: This article presents the findings of one participant in doctoral dissertation, which explores the lived experiences of developing professional identity among classical Adlerian practitioners through interpretative phenomenological analysis. This participant is given a unisex name, Leslie, to protect their confidentiality. This article discusses the process of formulating professional identity and theoretical orientation for a therapist who follows the Adlerian depth perspective. Leslie describes their experience of mentorship during classical Adlerian depth psychotherapy training and how it is different from other mentoring relationships. Leslie emphasizes the value of Alfred Adler’s theory and the need to represent Adler’s theoretical outlook while also acknowledging the differences within the Adlerian community and the minority status of Adlerian psychology in the wider mental health field.