Psychotherapy Experiences of U.S. Adults With Physical Disabilities: Recommendations for Affirmative Practice

Abstract

Mental health providers often have little to no training on working with disabled people, and may hold negative biases toward disability (American Psychological Association [APA], 2022). Given these conditions, this study fills a gap in knowledge about the experiences of people with physical disabilities in psychotherapy, and data-driven disability-affirmative approaches. Purposive sampling was used to recruit people with physical disabilities (N = 24) through social media, who participated in semi-structured individual interviews about their psychotherapy experiences. Consensual qualitative research methods revealed four overarching domains with multiple underlying themes. The four domains were: (a) positive therapeutic interventions and interactions, (b) negative therapeutic interventions and interactions, (c) in/accessibility of services, and (d) suggestions for improving mental health services. The results inform affirmative practices for psychotherapy with a stigmatized population. Implications for culturally-responsive clinical practice and training are discussed, as well as study limitations and directions for future research.