“It’s Almost as if I’ve Relapsed” : An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Addiction Therapists’ Experiences With Supporting Their Clients Through Repeated Relapse

Klein, Maike and Dixon, Jeremy and Butler, Catherine and Best, David (2024) “It’s Almost as if I’ve Relapsed” : An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Addiction Therapists’ Experiences With Supporting Their Clients Through Repeated Relapse. Journal of Drug Issues. ISSN 0022-0426

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Abstract

Background: Although addiction therapists are faced with immense pressures to effectively support clients through relapses and overdose risks, the evidence base on relapse remains significantly limited. Aims: This study aims to generate novel understandings of substance misuse relapse from a lived experience perspective of addiction therapists. Methods: Data were generated through semi-structured interviews with seven addiction therapists across specialist addiction treatment services in England, and subsequently analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: The analysis revealed three superordinate themes around the impact that supporting clients through relapse has on addiction therapists’ psychological wellbeing, their treatment approaches, and their therapeutic relationships. Conclusion: Relapse can shape how therapists perceive and engage with recovery of their clients. Although therapists sometimes consider relapse as a positive experience, they often feel negative psychological effects from it, including emotional withdrawal, self-doubt, and compassion fatigue. This paper sets out the implications for policy, practice, and research.