Abstract

Our paper is dedicated to show how personal therapy can improve psychotherapists’ skills, especially by providing a deeper understanding and an increased ability to manage their blind spots. However, personal therapy can also generate some dangers that must be foreseen and, hopefully, managed: as with all correctly performed psychotherapy, ethical violations must be avoided, especially given the multiplier effect these could have once trainees are fully licensed as therapists. Finally, the evaluation of competency should be avoided during personal therapy, so that trainees are treated with non-judgemental care, and may learn how to do the same with their future patients.