Psychiatrists’ inner dialogues concerning workmates during need

Abstract

Background: In the Need-Adapted approach decisions are made in therapy meetings with all relevant parties; this poses a professional challenge to psychiatrists. Aims: To describe psychiatrists’ inner dialogues concerning their workmates in treatment meetings. Methods: Using videos of co-research interviews, stimulated-recall interviews with eight psychiatrists were conducted and transcribed verbatim. The material was analyzed using an adapted form of dialogical analysis, focusing on voices and positioning. Results: The psychiatrists took actions in the treatment situation not only as professionals, but also as individuals who had their own characteristics, and individual relationships with their co-workers. Conclusions: Professionals as individuals, and the quality of clinician-clinician relationships, have an impact on treatment. These aspects should be taken into account in practice, in education, and in future research.