PSYCHOTHERAPISTS, RESEARCHERS, OR BOTH? A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOTHERAPISTS’ EXPERIENCES IN A PRACTICE RESEARCH NETWORK LOUIS G. CASTONGUAY AND DANA L. NELSON Penn State University MARY A. BOUTSELIS AND NANCY R. CHISWICK Child, Adult & Family Psychological Center, State College, PA DIANA D. DAMER University of Texas at Austin NEAL A. HEMMELSTEIN AND JEFFREY S. JACKSON Child, Adult & Family Psychological Center, State College, PA MAROLYN MORFORD Private Practice, State College, PA STEPHEN A. RAGUSEA AND J. GOWEN ROPER Child, Adult & Family Psychological Center, State College, PA CATHERINE SPAYD Private Practice, Altoona, PA TARA WEISZER University of Georgia THOMAS D. BORKOVEC Penn State University This paper describes the experiences of psychotherapists who, as part of a practice research network (PRN), col- laborated with researchers in designing and conducting a psychotherapy study within their own clinical practices. A qualitative analysis of interviews con- ducted with these psychotherapists led to the delineation of several benefits (e.g., learning information that im- proved their work with clients and feel- ing that they were contributing to re- search that would be useful for psychotherapists) and difficulties for them and their clients (e.g., time and effort required to integrate research protocol into routine clinical practice) that psychotherapists associated with their participation in the PRN. Also identified were a number of strategies used by psychotherapists to address obstacles that they encountered, as well Louis G. Castonguay, Dana L. Nelson, and Thomas D. Borkovec, Department of Psychology, Penn State University; Mary A. Boutselis, Nancy R. Chiswick, Neal A. Hemmel- stein, Jeffrey S. Jackson, Stephen A. Ragusea, and J. Gowen Roper, Child, Adult & Family Psychological Center, State College, PA; Diana D. Damer, Counseling and Mental Health Center, University of Texas at Austin; Marolyn Morford, Private Practice, State College, PA; Catherine Spayd, Private Practice, Altoona, PA; and Tara Weiszer, Counseling and Psychological Services, University of Georgia. This paper was part of a study that was conduct with funding provided by the American Psychological Association, and the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. The authors are grate- ful for the helpful guidance of Heidi Levitt and Samuel Knap. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Louis G. Castonguay, PhD, Department of Psychology, Penn State University, 308 Moore Building, University Park, PA 16802. E-mail: lgc3@psu.edu Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training © 2010 American Psychological Association 2010, Vol. 47, No. 3, 345–354 0033-3204/10/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0021165 345