Supervisees' and supervisors' experiences of group climate in group supervision in psychotherapy. Effects of admission procedure

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two different admission procedures (high school grades/scholastic aptitude test (SAT) versus high school grades/SAT + interview) to a program in professional psychology on students' and supervisors' experiences of the group climate in psychotherapy supervision groups during an eighteen-month clinical practicum. A self-rating scale constructed to measure experiences of group climate in group supervision in psychotherapy was used. The results showed that students who were admitted based on the alternative admission procedure reported that their supervision groups had a more beneficial climate compared to those who were admitted based on high school grades/SAT. The evaluation suggested that admission via interviews together with high school grades/SAT is a good alternative to traditional admission procedures

Prevalence of childhood abuse among people who are homeless in Western countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: This article systematically reviews studies of prevalence of childhood experience of physical and sexual abuse in adult people who are homeless in Western countries. Methods: Medline, PsychInfo, and the Cochrane Library were searched using the keywords: homeless*, child* abuse, child* trauma, and child* adversity and the bibliographies of identified articles were reviewed. Sources of heterogeneity in the prevalence rates were explored by meta-regression analysis Results: Twenty-four reports published between January 1990 and August 2013 in three countries provided estimates obtained from up to 9,730 adult individuals who were homeless. Prevalence of reported childhood physical abuse ranged from 6 to 94% with average prevalence of 37%, 95% CI [25, 51]. Reported sexual abuse ranged from 4 to 62%, with average prevalence estimated as 32%, 95% CI [23, 44] for females and 10% for males, 95% CI [6, 17]. Substantial heterogeneity was observed among the studies (I2 ≥ 98%). Including moderators greatly reduced but did not eliminate this heterogeneity. Moderator analyses suggested that reported physical abuse tended to be higher for predominately white samples and tended to be lower for younger samples. Sexual abuse was far more prevalent in predominately female samples and slightly higher in non-US samples and convenience samples

The latent structure of Wallerstein's 'Scales of psychological capacities'

The latent structure of a Swedish version of Wallerstein’s Scales of Psychological Capacities (PSYCAP) was tried with confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory factor analyses (EFA), based on PSYCAP ratings for 207 patients with severe psychiatric disorder. As a first step, the original theoretical model with three types of capacity (capacity to relate to self, capacity to regulate self, and capacity to relate to others) was tried with a CFA. This model had a poor fit to the data, as estimated with a number of fit measures. PSYCAP data was then entered into an EFA, which suggested an alternative model with three factors. The fit-test of this model suggested that the fit was reasonable. The three factors of the alternative model were used to compute subscales, and a satisfying reliability was established. The subscales also demonstrated adequate ability to discriminate between subjects at different levels of psychological functioning, as assessed with Kernberg’s concept of personality organization. This study provided some support to the PSYCAP as a personality measure based on an integrative theoretical model. Some of the problems with using CFA on personality data were highlighted

From psychotherapist to supervisor

This study is a part of an ongoing research project examining group supervision in psychotherapy. The study was performed in a postgraduate training program for prospective supervisors. The two-year supervisor training program included theory seminars as well as group supervision of the prospective supervisor’s supervision of a trainee who had a patient in psychotherapy. The training program was based on psychoanalytic theory and the psychotherapy conducted was psychoanalytically oriented. Supervisees´ and supervisors´ experiences of the learning process, supervision format in group and supervisor styles were explored in semi-structured interviews. Both supervisees and supervisors emphasized the importance of a specific training program for psychotherapists who intend to work as supervisors. The didactic aspects of supervision were pointed out. The group format was experienced as particularly suitable for this training level. The “super-supervisor’s” style was important as a role model for the supervisors in training

Group supervision from a small group perspective

The main objective of this study was to examine a set of independent group variables (group size, gender composition, and supervisory style) in group supervision, and their interrelation with supervisees’ and supervisors’ view on group interactions, group climate, and attained skill. The study also examined changes over time in supervisees’ and supervisors’ ratings of group interactions, group climate, and attained skill. Participants were 105 supervisees and 20 supervisors, who worked in 23 supervision groups on basic and advanced training level. Supervisees’ and supervisors’ experience of group interactions, climate, supervisory style, and attainment of knowledge and skills in the supervision was measured with self-rating scales. Results from hierarchical regression analysis indicate that the group variables measured in this study are interrelated to perceived psychotherapeutic knowledge and skills attainment, group interaction, and group climate. Repeated measures Anova suggested that participants in this study experienced a positive change over time with regard to attainment of knowledge and skills, group interaction, and group climate. Supervisors were more likely to experience a positive change whereas supervisees, and especially supervisees on the basic level, tended to present more stable ratings over time. These data underline the utility and importance of studying group supervision in psychotherapy from a small group perspective

Horowitz's 'Impact of event scale'. Evolution of 20 years of use

Objective The main objective of this meta-analysis was to model the relations between a set of independent variables (age and gender of the trauma group, country where the study was done, year of publication, type of event, time elapsed between event and measurement) and stress symptoms. Methods Data from sixty-six studies which used Horowitz’ Impact of Event Scale (IES) to examine the psychological impact of a major life-event were meta-analyzed. Results Results from hierarchical regression analysis indicated that different types of event (episodes of illness and injury, natural and technological disaster, bereavement and loss, violence, sexual abuse, and war exposure) is a strong predictor of levels of intrusive and avoidant symptoms after a traumatic event. Intrusive and avoidant reactions reported by trauma victims tended to decrease linearly over time after the trauma. This finding was supported by the results reported by 20 different studies of stress reactions at two different time-points after various events. Gender and cultural difference were relatively insignificant while type of of event induced different levels of stress reactions as measured with the IES. Conclusion These data provide evidence for the value of the IES as a measure of stress reactions in a number of different populations. Data summarized here will be useful as a comparison resource in future studies of stress response syndromes

Grupphandledning I psykoterapi inom ramen för utbildningar

The focus of this paper is group supervision in psychotherapy training. Results emanating from studies performed in collaboration between a number of Swedish universities and university affiliated training units are summarized. The findings are drawn from studies where data is collected from supervisors and supervisees at several different measurement points, levels of training, and psychotherapeutic orientations. The studies presented here examine and highlight different aspects of group supervision, e.g., the experience of supervision on various training levels and psychotherapeutic orientations with regard to the impact of the group format. Moreover, experiences of supervisor style and group climate are examined. A major finding is that both supervisors and supervisees emphasize the need of giving more attention to group processes and phenomena in group supervision

Mature students' journey into higher education in the UK. an interpretative phenomenological analysis

This article reports on issues of diversity in the context of widening participation in global higher education (HE). Mature students represent a third of the HE student population in Australia, Canada, UK and USA. More research is needed to understand factors that can facilitate or hinder access to HE for this group. The aim of this study was to examine factors that a small group of mature students perceived influenced them as they made the decision to take up HE. Six undergraduate students at a British university who were on track to finish their studies took part in semi-structured interviews. All participants were white and from families with no previous experience of HE. Mean age was 42.7 years (range 35 - 51), 50% were female. The interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Through using phenomenological analysis to analyse perceptions of changing motivation and goals during the decision-making process to take up HE, a detailed understanding of the complexity of these change processes was obtained. The analysis offers evidence that mature students experience far-reaching personal and social changes related to their decision to enter HE and adds a novel understanding of these identity-changes. This new insight is of fundamental importance to the field because the novel understanding of mature students’ meaning-making could be used to tailor interventions to facilitate access to HE for mature students

Feasibility and acceptability of an intervention for enhancing reintegration in adults with experience of homelessness.

Background: Service centres for homeless adults are potential settings for implementation of reintegration interventions. This study aimed to evaluate 1) the acceptability of a group-based programme among individuals from the broad population of homeless people, and 2) if a future study of its feasibility and acceptability for re-housed homeless people is warranted. Method: Recruiting participants and intervention facilitators from partnering service centres was thought to improve recruitment and retention, cost-effectiveness, and social interactions compared to professional-led interventions. Seven adults with experience of homelessness (3 females, 4 males, mean age 39 years, range 18-63) were recruited to participate in the intervention. The research protocol comprised completion pre/post of scales (Recovering Quality of Life questionnaire; Working Alliance Inventory-short form revised, WAI-SR) and focus groups, and WAI-SR and focus groups after sessions 3 and 6. Results: The intervention and research protocols were feasible, with all participants engaging in all sessions, completing all scales and attending all focus groups. The quantitative data demonstrated the feasibility of obtaining practically useful measures of relevant outcomes. In the 4 focus groups, the intervention received very favourable feedback. Conclusions: This study demonstrated initial feasibility and acceptability of an intervention that places minimal burden on infrastructure and promotes user autonomy. This is an important advance as there is increasing recognition that the challenge of reintegration is as much a psychological and social problem as a housing problem. If effective, this style of intervention may serve as a template for future interventions with similar populations

A Prospective Study of the Association of Metacognitive Beliefs and Processes with Persistent Emotional Distress After Diagnosis of Cancer

Two hundred and six patients, diagnosed with primary breast or prostate cancer completed self-report questionnaires on two occasions: before treatment (T1) and 12 months later (T2). The questionnaires included: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Impact of Events Scale; the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30) and the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-revised. A series of regression analyses indicated that metacognitive beliefs at T1 predicted between 14 and 19 % of the variance in symptoms of anxiety, depression and trauma at T2 after controlling for age and gender. For all three outcomes, the MCQ-30 subscale ‘negative beliefs about worry’ made the largest individual contribution with ‘cognitive confidence’ also contributing in each case. For anxiety, a third metacognitive variable, ‘positive beliefs about worry’ also predicted variance in T2 symptoms. In addition, hierarchical analyses indicated that metacognitive beliefs explained a small but significant amount of variance in T2 anxiety (2 %) and T2 depression (4 %) over and above that explained by demographic variables, T1 symptoms and T1 illness perceptions. The findings suggest that modifying metacognitive beliefs and processes has the potential to alleviate distress associated with cancer