A training outline for conducting psychotherapy process ratings: An example using therapist technique

Aims: This study addresses the effects of structured training on the development of coding skills used in psychotherapy process research. Method: Participants included graduate trainees enrolled in an APA approved Clinical PhD programme. A course outline for training is reviewed and examined in relation to ratings of therapist techniques used during psychotherapy sessions. Results: The effects of this structured training protocol for raters resulted in good to excellent levels of interrater reliability. Different groups of raters were compared along multiple factors such as level of graduate training, training received on a particular measure, and psychotherapy experience. Discussion: The implications of these findings for rater training in psychotherapy process research are discussed.     

The current state of sexual ethics training in clinical psychology: issues of quantity, quality, and effectiveness

Given the harm caused to clients and the psychology profession by therapist sexual misconduct, sexual ethics training should be given high priority in graduate training programs. The present study surveyed sexual ethics training and student understanding of sexual ethics in clinical psychology doctoral programs from the perspectives of training directors (n=84) and students (n=451). Ninety-four percent of the students had received sexual ethics training; programs provided an average of 6 hr of training. Still, students showed significant deficits in knowledge of sexual ethics principles. Students who had discussed a client attraction with a supervisor showed the best understanding of sexual ethics. Suggestions for ensuring adequate sexual ethics training are discussed.     

Practicing what we know: Multicultural counseling competence among clinical psychology trainees and experienced multicultural psychologists

Multicultural (MC) competence is considered a necessary skill for clinical and counseling psychologists; however, there is little to no research on the assessment of demonstrated multicultural counseling competence (DMCCC) of clinical psychology graduate students. In this study, we developed a MC assessment instrument to assess DMCCC of clinical psychology graduate students compared with MC-experienced psychologists. In addition, we assessed for differences between the endorsement of MC-appropriate strategies and actual use of these strategies in clinical practice, both by MC-experienced psychologists and clinical psychology students. Results revealed significant differences between the DMCCC of clinical psychology graduate students and MC-experienced psychologists. Significant differences also emerged between endorsement of strategies as multiculturally appropriate and likelihood of actual use of these strategies. Findings suggest that future training and competence models should incorporate participants' ability to not only identify multiculturally appropriate strategies but also use these strategies in therapy.     

The educational impact of team‐skills training: Preparing students to work in groups

Background. Despite a vast literature on collaborative learning (CL), there is little research on preparing students to work collaboratively. Aims. This two‐phase evaluation investigated whether team‐skills training could enhance the performance of collaborative groups through the introduction of a team development programme to a group‐based undergraduate key‐skills unit. Sample. Phase 1 compared two consecutive cohorts of second‐year students, Cohort 1 (N = 94) who received no preparation, and Cohort 2 (N = 113) who received team‐skills training. Phase 2 added Cohort 3 (N = 88), who also received team‐skills training, to extend the analysis. Method. In Phase 1, students in both Cohorts 1 and 2 worked on a series of curriculum based key‐skill tasks across two semesters. Students worked in one group in Semester 1 and were then formed into new groups for Semester 2. Effects of the training were measured by student group marks and key‐skill ratings. Results. Marks and key‐skill ratings were significantly higher for the trained cohort in Semester 1 (p <.01). However, in Semester 2 performance reduced for the trained cohort in comparison to Semester 1. To explore this further, Phase 2 of the study evaluated Cohort 3, where after training, collaborative groups remained intact throughout the academic year. Results for Cohort 3 showed no attenuation of performance effects in Semester 2. Conclusions. Phase 1 results support the use of team‐skills training to enhance CL group performance. The findings for Phase 2 suggest that these benefits may be lost if training groups are disrupted.     

The Magazine Picture Collage

The magazine picture collage, an occupational therapy evaluation technique, was chosen for use in a pre-placement teaching clinic with second year occupational therapy students. The collage technique was selected because it was suitable for administrating in a group setting; because it was especially congruent with the developmental and educational needs of the students at that precise stage; and because it was one of the few tools of psychosocial occupational therapy with an adequate body of introductory literature to support its further use and development. Subjective evaluation of the magazine picture collage teaching clinic seemed to indicate that the collage fulfilled the goals of the clinic. Goals included increased awareness of nonverbal communication and projection, understanding of manifestations of mental illness, understanding of students' personal values, understanding of real differences and similarities between students and clients, understanding of the therapist leadership role, and assessment of different frames of reference.     

Evaluation of self-administered rational emotive therapy programs for interpersonal anxiety

Self-administered rational emotive therapy (RET), withA New Guide to Rational Living (Ellis & Harper, 1975), as the treatment manual, was evaluated by comparing three groups which varied in terms of therapist contact (therapist administered, minimal contact, self-administered). University students who volunteered for the research program involving the treatment of interpersonal anxiety were randomly assigned to one of these treatments or to a wait-list control group. The results for 72 subjects who completed the 5-week program indicated the three treatment groups made significant gains over untreated controls on some of the self-report measures. No between-group differences appeared on ratings by significant others. A four- to five-month follow-up, which obtained data from 41 (58%) of the subjects, provided some support for the maintenance of treatment effects for the therapist administered and minimal contact groups. Correlations of assessed irrational beliefs with outcome measures provided some support for the RET model.Norris D. Vestre, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, Arizona State University. Terrence J. Judge, M.C., R.N.C., is a nurse therapist at Camelback Vista Treatment Center, Scottsdale, Arizona.     

Studying and Using Multiple Documents in History: Effects of Discipline Expertise

Extensive training in history results in generalized knowledge of the methods and information sources typical of history problems, that is, discipline expertise. We investigated the influence of discipline expertise on students' reading, evaluation, and use of multiple documents about a historical controversy. Eleven graduate students in psychology (history novices) and 8 graduate students in history (history specialists) studied 2 controversies about the history of the Panama Canal. For each controversy, the students studied a set of documents, wrote an opinion essay, and evaluated the documents for usefulness and trustworthiness. Study strategies did not differ significantly across groups. However, the evaluation of usefulness varied as a function of document type and students' expertise. Furthermore, novice and expert students differed in the way they expressed and supported an opinion in their essay. We suggest that discipline expertise helps history students connect information sources and interpretations to their representation of the situation or problem.     

“Sherry’s Secret”

The case and commentaries below were developed as part of a project, Graduate Research Ethics Education, undertaken by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF Grant No. SBR 9421897 and NSF Grant No. 9817880). The project aims at training graduate students in research ethics and building a community of scientists and engineers who are interested in and capable of teaching research ethics. As part of the project, each graduate student participant develops a case for use in teaching and writes a commentary to go with the case, and then a staff member is asked to write additional commentary on the case. The case below was written in the second year of the project and was published in Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries edited by B. Schrag, Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Bloomington, Indiana, Vol. II (1998). Publication of these cases and commentaries will be a recurring feature of Science and Engineering Ethics.     

Does theoretical background influence therapists' attitudes to therapist self‐disclosure? A qualitative study

Aims: This study investigated therapists' attitudes towards therapist self‐disclosure over different theoretical orientations and to establish how classical theoretical background and training effected and informed practice. Classical theoretical background was intended to refer to traditional Psychodynamic understanding. Method: Participants were experienced therapists drawn from four groups by a recruitment screening measure. Three groups were from the students’ cohort within a university Masters programme in Psychological Therapies. Participants were practicing from CBT, Systemic and Psychodynamic orientations. A further group was drawn from Person‐Centred therapist/trainers at a further education College. Data was gathered using focus groups and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Three major and one lesser theme emerged. These revealed that there was a spectrum of willingness to disclose throughout all groups, classical training influenced all participants; total restriction of TSD was impracticable and attitudes were affected by concerns for the therapeutic relationship. Implications for practice: TSD needs to be more thoroughly explored within therapy training and supervision. A structured framework could help inform practice. Conclusions: The study supported the idea that Classical Training influenced TSD.     

Does Therapist–Rater Religious Match Predict Higher Therapist Ratings?

This study investigated whether therapist–rater religious match predicts better therapist ratings. Christian and Muslim Lebanese students (N = 187) were randomized into 3 conditions. A written vignette of the therapist was constant across conditions, but her picture was manipulated to include a veil, a cross pendant, or neither. Participants filled out a therapist rating form afterward. There were no significant differences in overall therapist ratings between groups.     

Transfer of training from introductory computer courses is highly specific ... and negative!

Two groups of students in an introductory computer course learned either BASIC programming or the use of applications software. Students in the programming group learned to use a simple line editor to edit their programs, whereas students in the applications group learned to use a sophisticated cursor-oriented word processor. When both groups were tested on a simulated line-oriented text editor, there were no differences in overall performance, although both groups performed more poorly than did a group of introductory psychology students with no previous computer background. Different error patterns in the two groups for different commands suggest specific kinds of negative transfer due to their prior experiences. These results call into question the assumption that training students in one computer skill facilitates transfer to other situations.     

A Comparison of the Effects of Ethics Training on International and US Students

As scientific and engineering efforts become increasingly global in nature, the need to understand differences in perceptions of research ethics issues across countries and cultures is imperative. However, investigations into the connection between nationality and ethical decision-making in the sciences have largely generated mixed results. In Study 1 of this paper, a measure of biases and compensatory strategies that could influence ethical decisions was administered. Results from this study indicated that graduate students from the United States and international graduate students studying in the US are prone to different biases. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for developing ethics education interventions to target these decision-making biases. In Study 2, we employed an ethics training intervention based on ethical sensemaking and used a well-established measure of ethical decision-making that more fully captures the content of ethical judgment. Similar to Study 1, the results obtained in this study suggest differences do exist between graduate students from the US and international graduate students in ethical decision-making prior to taking the research ethics training. However, similar effects were observed for both groups following the completion of the ethics training intervention.     

Personal therapy for family therapy graduate students

This study explores students' attitudes about personal therapy as a component of training and assesses the effects of providing a list of community therapist who were willing to see family therapy graduate students at a reduced fee on students' behaviors. Students' personal therapy experiences and attitudes about faculty involvement in their personal lives were also investigated. Most students believe that student therapists should have personal therapy sometime during their training, and the majority of students had al-ready been in therapy. Individual issues and relationship problems were the most frequently cited reasons for starting personal therapy.     

Recurrent Personality Factors Based on Trait Ratings

Intercorrelations among ratings on 35 personality traits, selected as representative of the personality domain, were obtained for eight samples. These samples differed in length of acquaintanceship from 3 days to more than a year; in kind of acquaintanceship from assessment programs in a military training course to a fraternity house situation; in type of subject from airmen with only a high-school education to male and female undergraduate students to first-year graduate students; and in type of rater from very naive persons to clinical psychologists and psychiatrists with years of experience in the evaluation of personality. Centroid or multiple-group factors were extracted and rotated orthogonally to simple structure. For one study, an independent solution was obtained in which analytic rotations were accomplished on an IBM 650 computer using Kaiser's normal varimax criterion. Five fairly strong and recurrent factors emerged from each analysis, labeled as (a) Surgency, (b) Agreeableness, (c) Dependability, (d) Emotional Stability, and (e) Culture.     

Evaluating Turkish university students’ preferences for mental health therapists: A conjoint analysis approach

Due to fast-paced cultural and societal changes in Turkey, Turkish students now accrue both eastern and western cultural motives, which place Turkish students under stress. However, Turkish students have a stigma toward seeking mental health services. The current study aimed to use conjoint analysis to examine Turkish students’ preferences for mental health therapist variables regarding seeking help for adjustment problems to life in college. Students from two universities in Turkey were recruited on a volunteer basis to participate in this study (N = 235). The results indicated that the training institution, age, professional background, geographical region and gender significantly influence students’ formation of preferences for mental health therapists. The training institution had the most predominant effect on preferences. Implications for promoting help-seeking and mental health service utilization in Turkey are discussed.     

The Contribution of Group Supervision Processes to the Formation of Professional Identity among Novice Psychotherapists

ABSTRACT

Group supervision is a commonly employed method in graduate psychology training. The present study examines the role of group processes in the formation of professional identity among 129 Israeli graduate students following the conclusion of their supervision process. The following three identity statuses were identified: achievement, diffusion, and moratorium. Working alliance and group engagement were significantly higher for achievement students and differentiated between achievement and moratorium students. Cohesion was significantly lower for moratorium students than for students at each of the other two identity statuses. All differences were maintained when controlling for anxiety. Finally, working alliance was found to be the dominant process in predicting committed professional identity status. The findings stress the links between group processes in group supervision and a committed professional identity.     

La formation dans l’enseignement de la psychologie pour les étudiants de cycle supérieur : les compétences essentielles pour les nouveaux enseignants

What pedagogical skills are necessary for first-time college instructors? Ninety-two faculty (M = 41.3 years old, 68% female, 90.2% white, 91% born in the US) and 64 graduate students (M = 28.3 years old, 83% female, 87.5% white, 81% born in the US) listed the top three skills they believed were essential to instructors’ success in the college classroom. Despite differing levels of classroom teaching experience, graduate students and faculty members prioritized “survival” skills: public speaking, organization, and content mastery. Notable differences did emerge: faculty members were more likely to list reflection on teaching and graduate students were more likely to list classroom management and comfort with technology. Faculty also preferred more informal training methods (e.g., self-reflection, mentorship), whereas graduate students preferred more formal training methods (e.g., practice/experience, seminar/workshop). Recommendations for graduate teacher training programs include a focus on lower as well as higher-level skills and an attempt to incorporate formal and informal training methods.     

Diagnostic judgments as a function of client and therapist race

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the process of differential evaluation of clients as a function of client and therapist race. It was hypothesized that race of client and therapist would interact, influencing the judgments of client psychopathology, appropriateness for therapy, verbal facility, and likelihood of treatment success despite standardization of the clinical stimuli. Graduate students in clinical psychology and with varying levels of training (i.e., 1 to 5 years) were asked to rate videotaped interviews of clients in which race of the client and level of psychopathology (i.e., normal, neurotic, and psychotic) were systematically varied. There were significant differences in ratings as a function of race of client, race of therapist, and level of psychopathology observed. Black clients were not rated differently on degree of psychopathology but were rated as less verbally skilled and less appropriate for treatment but more likely to benefit from treatment than white clients. Contrary to expectations, white therapists tended to underrate the pathology of black clients. On the other hand, black therapists tended to overrate the pathology of white clients and made mixed judgments of black clients. The implications of these findings are discussed.This study was supported in part by NIMH Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Grant G12RR03206-2.     

Client Reaction to Counselor's Use of Self-Experience

This study sought to determine if counselor use of self-experience may be useful in increasing self-confidence, self-disclosure, perceived genuineness, and empathic understanding. Volunteer graduate students in education interested in participating in a series of group counseling sessions structured to deal with problems of the graduate student were used in this study. 30 graduate students were divided into 6 groups of 5 each. 3 groups were experimental groups and 3 groups were control groups. In the control groups self-experience examples were not used by the counselor, but in the experimental groups they were used extensively. Questionnaires, taped sessions, and post-counseling interviews were used in evaluation of results. The experimental groups perceived the counseling relationship as less genuine than the control groups. The results of the study did not support the use of counselor self-experience examples in group counseling.