A test of psychotherapists' and nontherapists' recognition of correct and incorrect process in managing client resistance |
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Authors: | Max B. Cooper,Alyssa A. Di  Bartolomeo,Henny A. Westra,David A. Olson,Tali Boritz |
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Affiliation: | Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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Abstract: | Objective Psychotherapist management of client resistance (i.e., opposition to change or the therapy process) has a significant impact on therapy outcomes. This study aimed at assessing psychotherapists' and nontherapists' abilities to recognise empirically supported correct and erroneous therapist responses to client resistance. Method Seventy-eight therapists and 111 nontherapists completed a rapidly administered novel skills test, Therapist Errors in Resistance Management (TERM), assessing recognition of correct and erroneous resistance management. Results Participants were, on average, less than half as accurate at recognising therapist errors (recognised below chance levels) compared with correct therapist responses to resistance (recognised above chance levels). Therapists outperformed nontherapists in accurate recognition of therapist responding. However, among the therapist group, greater clinical experience did not predict superior recognition of therapist errors. Conclusion These results indicate that therapists and nontherapists alike may have difficulty detecting erroneous therapist responses to resistance, tending to mistake empirically contraindicated directive responses for correct responding. This may reflect the difficult and unintuitive nature of correct resistance responding and may suggest a need for increased training in process acuity and resistance management in therapist education. |
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Keywords: | client resistance process acuity psychotherapist training psychotherapy psychotherapy process |
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