“Afterwork”: A clinical-phenomenological report

Abstract

This paper explores a number of the dimensions of the process of “afterwork”: the psychological work that former patients engage in after treatment has terminated. Ten former patients, who had worked with 10 different therapists, were interviewed utilizing a semi-structured interview protocol, and their experiences form the basis for the findings and observations that are described. It was found that subjects remembered little by way of lessons or insights; rather, what remained with them were changes of perspective, the internalization of the “process” of the treatment, and the experience of their therapists' human qualities. In addition, it was found that most subjects had had some form of contact with their therapists post-termination. The implications of these findings are discussed.