Due to their high associated dropout rates, self-help cCBT programmes such as MoodGYM should not be provided as front-line treatments. However, as it is likely to be agreeable and beneficial to some service users, perhaps self-help cCBT should be provided as an additional treatment option.

While most psychologists are engaged in supervision, frequency of attendance is low, with more satisfied psychologists having more frequent supervision. Most psychologists want separation of their clinical and line management supervision and have a preference for external supervision, safe and trustworthy relationships with supervisors being their primary concern. Only 16% of psychologists had formal training in supervision but having such training significantly contributed to greater confidence as a supervisor, indicating an urgent need to provide more supervisor training for psychologists.

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Although there have been some recent changes in Ireland, the practice of mandating personal therapy during training has traditionally differed between counselling and clinical psychologists. Irish psychologists (n = 258: 170 clinical, 88 counselling) took part in a survey study of experiences and views regarding this practice. Counselling psychologists reported higher rates of lifetime and current attendance at personal therapy compared to clinical psychologists, and nearly all had experienced mandated personal therapy compared to a minority of the clinical group. However, the clinical psychologists had a high rate of attendance at personal therapy compared to that reported for their British peers, indicating a high regard for personal therapy amongst Irish clinicians despite the absence of a training mandate. Five factors were found to be independent predictors of agreement with mandating personal therapy during training-lifetime experience of personal therapy, being a counselling psychologist, experience of mandated therapy, being more recently qualified, and longer attendance at personal therapy. Thematic analysis of the psychologists' open responses regarding mandated therapy indicated that the majority believed that personal therapy was an important part of ethical, effective practice, and valuable in enhancing self-awareness and learning from the client experience. Ethical concerns about a mandate were polarised between the two psychology specialisms, more counselling psychologists emphasising the dangers and questionable efficacy of psychologists practising psychotherapy without personal therapy experience, and more clinical psychologists questioning the efficacy and ethics of imposing a mandate on trainees. Recommendations are made regarding this issue for trainers of both specialisms.

Background Within clinical psychology, there is a broad training and range of practice. However, most clinical psychologists practice psychotherapy and this study explored what relates to confidence in therapeutic practice. Method An online survey was distributed to Irish psychologists. Three‐quarters of the survey participants constituted 46% of the total population of Irish health service psychologists, the remainder working in various non‐health service settings. Clinical psychologists practising psychotherapy were the focus of this study (N = 170). Results Psychotherapy practice was a dominant activity for nearly all clinical psychologists but only 13% believed that their psychology training fully equipped them to practice psychotherapy and nearly one‐half felt limited confidence for therapeutic work. More confident clinical psychologists were more satisfied with the psychotherapy knowledge and skills gained during clinical psychology training, more satisfied with their supervisory support, had spent longer in personal therapy, and had more years of experience. Conclusions Perceived quality of psychotherapy training during clinical psychology training provides an essential foundation for therapeutic confidence. Ongoing access to satisfying supervision in post‐qualification practice also supports confident therapeutic work. In addition, the significance of substantial experience of personal therapy for confidence points to its inclusion as a valuable part of clinical psychology training.