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Abstract
The disability community is the largest minority group in the U.S. and includes an extensive range of experiences including physical, sensory, cognitive, and psychological conditions. Social science researchers have made continuous calls for research to approach disability as a diverse, marginalized community with unique experiences and needs in mental health treatment (Bogart & Dunn, 2019). The current study expanded on previous studies by exploring the individual psychotherapy experiences of adults with any disability. A qualitative approach guided by phenomenology and social constructivism was conducted with 7 individuals who identified as disabled and had previously or were currently engaging in psychotherapy. Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) was utilized to analyze the participants’ responses. Results highlight how the multi-faceted experience of living with a disability, mental health clinicians’ approach to centering disability, level of disability competence, and environmental and institutional factors shaped the participants’ psychotherapy experiences.