Unveiling sociotherapists' coping resources: exploring professional experiences through thematic analysis

This research addresses the understudied area of sociotherapists' experiences and coping mechanisms within the Polish context. Sociotherapy, a widely used group-based psychological and pedagogical intervention for children and adolescents in Poland, lacks international recognition and scientific exploration, despite its prevalence. This study aims to understand the coping resources that allow sociotherapists to successfully navigate the numerous challenges inherent in their work, which includes dealing with individual and group difficulties, as well as systemic issues. The scarcity of research on sociotherapy's work realities, coupled with the high-stress nature of therapeutic professions, particularly those involving intense client interactions, underscores the need to investigate the resources that support sociotherapists' well-being and effectiveness. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model provides a theoretical framework for understanding how job demands (stressors) and job resources (buffers against stress) interact to influence professional functioning. This study uses a qualitative approach to provide rich, in-depth insights into the subjective experiences of sociotherapists and thereby contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the coping resources they employ.

The existing literature highlights the prevalence of sociotherapy in Poland, comparing it to similar group-based interventions and play therapies used internationally to address the mental and behavioral health needs of children and adolescents. However, research characterizing the work and workload of sociotherapists is limited. While studies exist on job stress and coping resources in various professions, often utilizing the JD-R model, there's a gap in knowledge concerning the specific demands and resources within sociotherapy. Existing research suggests the challenges sociotherapists face, including crisis situations, lack of systemic support, and varied participant needs. The JD-R model posits that job resources can mitigate the negative effects of job demands on burnout and well-being, impacting job commitment and resilience. However, the specifics of this model's application within the sociotherapy context remain unexplored.

This study employed a qualitative research design using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Twenty-two participants (2 men, 20 women) with varied ages, educational backgrounds (psychology, pedagogy, or teaching), and experience levels were recruited using snowball sampling. The sample comprised sociotherapists working in diverse settings across Poland, including schools, sociotherapy centers, and psychological counseling centers. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. The interview protocol included an open-ended narrative prompt asking participants to describe a challenging situation they successfully navigated and what resources helped them cope. This narrative approach provided rich contextual data and enabled participants to illustrate their coping strategies within specific scenarios. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, an inductive approach allowing for the identification and interpretation of patterns in qualitative data. The analysis process followed established steps: familiarization with the data, coding, theme searching, theme review, theme definition and naming, and report writing. Investigator triangulation ensured rigor and quality control throughout the analysis process, managing code saturation and meaning saturation. Reflexivity was incorporated to acknowledge and address potential biases, highlighting the researchers' backgrounds and perspectives.

The thematic analysis yielded five overarching themes representing coping resources mobilized by sociotherapists: 1. **"I can rely on other professionals":** This theme emphasizes the importance of social support within the workplace, including both formal and informal collaborations with colleagues, supervisors, and other professionals involved in the client's care. Examples included seeking advice, emotional support, and collaborative problem-solving. The strength of these relationships was positively correlated with successful coping. 2. **"I am ready to work on and with myself":** This theme highlights the role of self-awareness, self-compassion, and personal growth in navigating challenges. Sociotherapists described drawing on their personal experiences, self-knowledge, and continued learning to adapt their approaches and maintain well-being. Accepting personal limitations and seeing challenging experiences as opportunities for learning were recurring themes. 3. **"I am ready to be a container for their feelings":** This theme focuses on the ability to create a safe therapeutic space for participants to express difficult emotions. The sociotherapists demonstrated empathy, acceptance, and emotional regulation to ensure that the intense emotions of clients did not disrupt the therapeutic relationship and model healthy emotional processing. This involved containment of difficult emotions expressed by group participants and other stakeholders such as parents and teachers. 4. **"I need to take action!":** This theme showcases the importance of proactive and strategic interventions to address challenging situations. It involves a focus on specific actions such as following rules, clarifying behaviors, addressing underlying emotions, and mediating conflicts. This theme highlighted the need for competency in crisis intervention within sociotherapy. 5. **"But I'm a sociotherapist, and I have a mission!":** This theme reflects the powerful role of professional identity and a sense of purpose in motivating sociotherapists to overcome challenges. This included a strong sense of responsibility towards clients, often viewed as a calling despite hardships. The mission provided resilience and motivation to persevere, exceeding the typical boundaries of their role in providing crisis support.

The findings of this study provide significant insights into the coping strategies and resources employed by sociotherapists in Poland. The five identified themes contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the factors that influence their effectiveness and well-being. The emphasis on social support underscores the crucial role of creating supportive work environments and facilitating peer supervision. The importance of self-reflection and personal development highlights the need for continued professional development and opportunities for self-care. The findings suggest the need for training and policies that emphasize both emotional regulation and crisis intervention. The strong sense of professional mission among participants emphasizes the need for organizational recognition of their dedication and the creation of supportive policies that align with their values and commitment to the profession. These findings hold implications for training programs, supervision, and the overall support of sociotherapists within the Polish context, which could potentially be applied internationally given the prevalence of similar interventions globally.

This study's primary contribution lies in identifying key coping resources used by Polish sociotherapists to navigate challenges in their work with adolescents. The five themes suggest that strengthening supportive work environments, providing adequate training (including crisis intervention and emotional regulation techniques), and offering access to ongoing supervision are essential for promoting the well-being and effectiveness of sociotherapists. Fostering a stronger professional community, perhaps through increased participation in professional organizations, could provide valuable support and opportunities for sharing best practices. Future research could explore the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing these identified resources and investigate the cross-cultural applicability of these findings.

The study's limitations include the use of snowball sampling, which may have resulted in a sample not fully representative of all Polish sociotherapists. The potential for self-presentation bias by participants, given the interviewer's established reputation, should also be considered. The narrative stimulus focusing on successful coping may have overemphasized positive experiences. Finally, the placement of the narrative prompt at the end of the interview may have influenced participant responses.