The Therapeutic Bond Scales: Psychometric Characteristics and Relationship to Treatment Effectiveness

The Therapeutic Bond Scales assess the quality of the therapeutic relationship from the patient\u27s perspective. The therapeutic bond is composed of 3 aspects: working alliance, empathic resonance, and mutual affirmation. Scales were developed to measure these aspects and the therapeutic bond as a whole. The correlations between these scales and 2 measures of outcome (session quality assessed by the patient and termination outcome evaluated by nonparticipant raters) were examined. All scales were significantly correlated with session quality. Therapeutic bond was significantly correlated with termination outcome in both a linear and a curvilinear fashion, suggesting that, at least in the initial phase of therapy, the therapeutic bond can be too high as well as too low

Evaluating the quality of social work supervision in UK children's services: comparing self-report and independent observations

Understanding how different forms of supervision support good social work practice and improve outcomes for people who use services is nearly impossible without reliable and valid evaluative measures. Yet the question of how best to evaluate the quality of supervision in different contexts is a complicated and as-yet-unsolved challenge. In this study, we observed 12 social work supervisors in a simulated supervision session offering support and guidance to an actor playing the part of an inexperienced social worker facing a casework-related crisis. A team of researchers analyzed these sessions using a customized skills-based coding framework. In addition, 19 social workers completed a questionnaire about their supervision experiences as provided by the same 12 supervisors. According to the coding framework, the supervisors demonstrated relatively modest skill levels, and we found low correlations among different skills. In contrast, according to the questionnaire data, supervisors had relatively high skill levels, and we found high correlations among different skills. The findings imply that although self-report remains the simplest way to evaluate supervision quality, other approaches are possible and may provide a different perspective. However, developing a reliable independent measure of supervision quality remains a noteworthy challenge

Self‐concept of relational skills in psychotherapy trainees: A pilot study

Background: Personal characteristics and relational skills represent central aspects of the psychotherapist's work, and yet, little is still known about them in the context of psychotherapy training. Objective: This paper presents a preliminary exploration of the self-concepts of relational skills in psychotherapy trainees. Changes in the self-concept in N = 131 psychotherapy trainees were explored through analysis of self-image ideal-self and self/ ideal-self discrepancy in two stages (beginning vs. advanced). Method: Data were collected with a modified version of the self-rated instruments Trainee Background Information Form and Trainee Current Practice Report (Orlinsky et al., 2015), and analysed with analyses of covariances for each dependent variable. Results: Expected differences in the self-image of beginning versus advanced trainees were not detected. However, differences in trainees’ ideal-self and in self/ideal-self discrepancy were found. Some gender and age differences were also detected. Conclusions: The results suggest possible changes in the self-concept of relational skills, indicative of self-development processes such as discovering a realistic sense of self and self-boundaries, managing intensive emotional interactions and developing regulatory interpersonal mechanisms. An in-depth and more refined future exploration of various aspects of the self-concept in the context of psychotherapy training is needed to help understand the complex processes of forming an integrated self of psychotherapists

Activities influencing the professional development of New Zealand counsellors across their careers

New Zealand counsellors (n = 123) were surveyed as an extension of a multinational study of therapist development. Comparisons were made with samples of Canadian and US counsellors. New Zealand counsellors perceived themselves to have developed in skill and knowledge across their careers, and reported high levels of ongoing development at all stages of their careers. Involvement in supervision and training were notably high, exceeding that of the Canadian and US samples, and did not diminish with increasing time in practice. Involvement in personal therapy was also high, though slightly lower than the comparison samples. New Zealand counsellors regarded supervision, training, and personal therapy as having had a strong, positive influence on their professional development. Ratings of the influence of these activities exceeded the ratings of comparison samples

Ninety psychotherapy training programmes across the globe: Variations and commonalities in an international context

Objective: Psychotherapist training programmes have arguably a most impactful intervention on the field of psychotherapy, shaping the kinds of therapists their graduates become. Yet, little is known about the structural and organisational similarities and differences of these key learning environments in an international context. Method: Ninety psychotherapy training programmes in 16 different countries comprised data for a study initiated by members of the SPR Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development (SPRISTAD). Training directors or senior faculty completed the Training Program Description Form (TPDF), surveying, for example, organisational setting and size, educational/occupational prerequisites, trainee funding and schedules, educational methods and graduation criteria. Results: Among otherwise highly diverse programmes, the most consistent finding was commitment to relationship-based experiential learning, including direct supervision of trainees' treatment cases and case discussions with experts and peers. Criteria for selecting applicants focussed mainly on their personal qualities (empathy, self-awareness and good mental health), supplemented by evaluations of relevant intellectual qualities (psychological-mindedness, theoretical interest and intelligence). Training consistently focussed on individual psychotherapy as the dominant treatment modality. Conclusion: Across countries, essential commonalities among psychotherapy training programmes emerged. Findings suggest there may be common ground for developing therapist training, as knowledge increases on beneficial therapist characteristics and their formation.</p

Psychotherapieausbildung in Österreich. Teil 1: Basisdaten und soziodemographische Hintergrunddaten aus der SPRISTAD-Studie [Psychotherapy training in Austria. Part 1: Basic and sociodemographic data from the SPRISTAD study]

Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt einen ersten Einblick in die Ausbildungssituation für Psychotherapeuten in Österreich dar. Auf Grundlage einer Befragung von Kandidaten zu Beginn ihrer Ausbildung werden die Voraussetzungen von Psychotherapieausbildungskandidaten in Österreich betrachtet. Psychotherapeuten wurden am Beginn ihrer Ausbildung in Hinblick auf ihre soziodemografischen Hintergrunddaten und ihren bisherigen Bildungsweg befragt. Diese Hintergrunddaten wurden im Rahmen der internationalen Studie zur Ausbildung und beruflichen Entwicklung von Psychotherapeuten (Society of Psychotherapy Research Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development [SPRISTAD]) mit der Trainee Background Information Form (TBIF) erfasst. Da es sich um eine explorative Studie handelt, können die Ergebnisse der Hintergrunddaten der bisher 197 Teilnehmenden als Ausgangpunkt für weiterführende Forschung im Bereich Psychotherapieausbildung und Kompetenzentwicklung gesehen werden. Die Ergebnisse werden im Detail demnächst berichtet, sodass weitergehend sowohl auf nationale Bedingungen als auch Möglichkeiten für zukünftige interdisziplinäre Forschung eingegangen werden kann.The present work provides preliminary insight into the training situation for psychotherapists in Austria. On the basis of a survey of candidates at the beginning of their training, the requirements of psychotherapeutic training candidates in Austria are considered. Psychotherapists in training were interviewed at the beginning of their training concerning their sociodemographic background data and prior education. This background data was collected using the Trainee Background Information Form (TBIF), which was designed by the Society for Psychotherapy Research Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development (SPRISTAD). As this is an exploratory study, the results of the background data can be seen as a starting point for further research in psychotherapy training and competence development. Results will be published soon, so that both countrywide conditions and opportunities for future interdisciplinary research can be considered.(VLID)360156