Conference Agenda

The psychotherapeutic relationship is a central determinant of therapeutic engagement and outcome, shaped both by technique and by how clients and therapists perceive one another and imagine they are perceived in return. Drawing on Dialogical Self Theory and theories of intersubjectivity and perspective-taking (Hermans, 2001; Marková, 2003; Gillespie, 2010), this study conceptualises therapy as an encounter in which multiple voices and social perspectives are brought into relation. Using semi-structured interviews with LGBTQ+ clients (N = 11) and therapists (N = 15), the study employs dialogical analysis to examine how participants view one and another (perspectives) and think they are viewed by the other (meta-perspectives); focusing on how sexual orientation identity is viewed and managed in the therapeutic context. Findings illustrate the therapeutic relationship as shaped by a polyphony of voices through which clients and therapists position one another and negotiate meaning around sexual orientation identity. First, clients’ perspectives on therapists depict therapists through a range of relational positions, including as supportive and affirming, directive or authoritative, uncertain yet willing to learn, or as providing guidance and explanation. Second, therapists’ perspectives on clients foreground client voices marked by stigma, anxiety, and uncertainty, presenting clients as engaged in processes of searching, questioning, and negotiating sexual orientation identity. Third, clients’ meta-perspectives articulate perceptions of being seen as recognised or misunderstood, accepted or judged, and positioned as competent, vulnerable, or legitimate in relation to their sexual orientation identity. Finally, therapists’ meta-perspectives reflect perceptions of being seen as knowledgeable or insufficiently equipped, trustworthy or potentially misrecognising.Together, these perspectives and meta-perspectives reveal relational attunement but also tensions and asymmetries that shape safety, disclosure, and engagement in therapy. By tracing these dialogical dynamics, the study extends dialogical theory into LGBTQ+ therapeutic contexts, highlighting how communication and understanding are actively negotiated in practice.