A Measurable Impact of a Self‐Practice/Self‐Reflection Programme on the Therapeutic Skills of Experienced Cognitive‐Behavioural Therapists

Abstract

The need for effective training methods for enhancing cognitive-behavioural therapist competency is not only relevant to new therapists but also to experienced therapists looking to retain and further enhance their skills. Self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR) is a self-experiential cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) training programme, which combines the experience of practicing CBT methods on oneself with structured reflection on the implications of the experience for clinical practice. In order to build on previous qualitative studies of SP/SR, which have mainly focused on trainee CBT therapists, the aim of the current study was to quantify the impact of SP/SR on the therapeutic skills of an experienced cohort of CBT therapists. Fourteen CBT therapists were recruited to participate in an SP/SR programme specifically adapted for experienced therapists. In the context of a quasi-experimental design including multiple baselines within a single-case methodology, therapists provided self-ratings of technical cognitive therapy skill and interpersonal empathic skill at four critical time points: baseline, pre-SP/SR and post-SP/SR and follow-up. Analysis of programme completers (n = 7) indicated that SP/SR enhances both technical skill and interpersonal therapeutic skill. Further intention-to-treat group (n = 14) analyses including both those who left the programme early (n = 3) and those who partially completed the programme (n = 4) added to the robustness of findings with respect to technical cognitive therapy skills but not interpersonal empathic skills. It was concluded that SP/SR, as a training and development programme, could offer an avenue to further therapeutic skill enhancement in already experienced CBT therapists.

Self‐Practice and Self‐Reflection in Training of Psychological Interventions and Therapist Skills Development: A Qualitative Meta‐Synthesis Review

“…There was a significant increase in trainees' overall clinical and empathy skills post‐SP/SR (Davis et al., ; Niemi & Tiuraniemi, ; Schneider & Rees, ). Specifically, trainees were better able to respond in meaningful and relevant ways, clarify problems, assist in goals development, generate an encouraging atmosphere to facilitate participation, understand and respond appropriately to clients' non‐verbal behaviours, and manage difficult clients (i.e., unmotivated, suicidal, abused, alcoholic, indecisive, or silent clients).…”

Self‐practice/self‐reflection as an alternative to personal training‐therapy in cognitive behavioural therapy training: A qualitative analysis

“…SP/SR's stated objective is the enhancement of therapist skills (e.g., Thwaites et al, ). It may impact processes and outcomes of therapy (Bennett‐Levy et al, ), case‐conceptualization skills (Haarhoff, ; Haarhoff, Gibson, & Flett, ), therapist personal beliefs (Davis, Thwaites, Freeston, & Bennett‐Levy, ), therapeutic attitudes (Chaddock, Thwaites, Freeston, & Bennett‐Levy, ), and both interpersonal perceptual and cognitive therapy‐specific skills (Bennett‐Levy, Lee, Travers, Pohlman, & Hamernick, ; Chaddock, Thwaites, Bennett‐Levy, & Freeston, ; Davis, Thwaites, Freeston, & Bennett‐Levy, ). SP/SR has important implications for practice and might be a transtheoretical concept, which places participants in clients' shoes, increasing empathy and understanding of the model, and enhancing training (Gale & Schröder, ).…”

What Are the Conditions Needed to Facilitate Online Self‐Reflection for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Trainees?

“…It has been proposed that practicing CBT techniques on self as therapist (self-practice [SP]) and reflecting on this process (selfreflection [SR]) offer a pathway to achieving this end (Bennett-Levy et al, 2001). Over the past decade, this assertion has been supported by a number of studies in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, and Austria (Bennett-Levy et al, 2001;Chaddock, Thwaites, Freeston, & Bennett-Levy, 2006;Davis, Thwaites, Freeston, & Bennett-Levy, 2014;Farrand, Perry, & Linsley, 2010;Haarhoff, Gibson, & Flett, 2011;Laireiter & Willutzki, 2003). A recent meta-synthesis provides a good summary of this research and offers support for the value of SP/SR within training programmes (Gale & Schröder, 2014).…”