Exploring differences in psychological professionals' attitudes towards and experiences of complementary therapies in clinical practice

Abstract

Background Previous studies have found that practicing psychologists hold different attitudes than psychology students towards complementary therapies in clinical practice. These differences may relate to psychologists' knowledge of complementary therapies and their use in clinical practice. The use of complementary therapies among consumers for physical and psychological concerns is increasing, but many lack empirical evidence. Objective Previous studies have explored attitudes with samples of registered psychologists and psychology students, but no empirical studies have examined this among academic professionals who work predominantly in tertiary or research roles. This study investigated whether the personal experience of complementary therapies influenced professional psychologists' and academic professionals' attitudes towards complementary therapies in clinical practice. Method Professional psychologists (n = 134) and academic professionals (n = 106) participated in an online cross‐sectional study. An existing scale measuring psychologists' attitudes towards complementary therapies explored the attitudes of professional psychologists and academic professionals. Results Results demonstrated that professional psychologists held more positive attitudes towards complementary therapies and had greater personal use of these therapies than academic professionals. Conclusions The findings from this study raises questions about whether personal experience biases a professional's view of complementary therapies in clinical practice or facilitates a more sophisticated comprehension of their role in clinical care. The research further supports variations in attitudes in sub‐groups of psychology, which may stimulate more collaborative and reciprocal work on complementary therapies within education, research and practice.

A comparison of attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine between psychologists in Australia and Indonesia: a short report

“…This similarity of feeling may be rooted in the same Western psychology education in Indonesian and Australian universities, which is grounded in the medical model 4, 14. This uncertainty towards CAM was also found in a more recent survey using PATCAT among professional psychologists (psychological professionals who predominantly work in clinical settings) and academic psychologists (psychological professionals who predominantly work in academia) in Australia 8 …”

“…Indonesian HCPs in this study discouraged their cancer clients from using spiritual healing by a shaman but not religious therapy led by a religious leader; a finding that was not found among Dutch HCPs. Additionally, psychologists’ negative experiences of CAM usage may also influence their attitudes in perceiving CAM as a public health threat as predicted in a more recent survey among professional and academic psychologists in Australia 8 and interviews with Indonesian psychologists 6 …”

“…A survey to validate PATCAT found that full-registered Australian psychologists generally accepted the integration of CAM in psychological services but focused more on the importance of rigorous scientific testing compared with psychology students 3 . A relatively new survey also found that Australian professional psychologists (who predominantly work in clinical settings) and academic psychologists (who predominantly working in academia) reported their favourableness in integrating CAM into conventional psychotherapy as well as emphasized the associated risks of using CAM in clinical practice 8 …”

“I’ve Only Just Heard About It”: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Knowledge and Educational Needs of Clinical Psychologists in Indonesia

“…The emergence of CAM integration into medical education curricula, especially in high- and middle-income countries, aligned with physicians’ and medical students’ positive attitude towards CAM education [19,20]. Similar to this finding, Australian psychologists also demonstrated their agreement towards the need for psychologists to be knowledgeable about CAM treatments [21].…”

Alternative psychotherapies: Conceptual elucidation and epidemiological framework.

“…In two Australian studies, around 69% of clinicians reported using CAM (Wilson, White, & Obst, 2011;Ligorio & Lyons, 2018). Of these, 81% used CAM for psychological well-being and 86% for general health (Ligorio & Lyons, 2018), whereas 51% of clinicians referred clients to CAM practitioners (Wilson, White, & Obst, 2011). In Stapleton, Chatwin, Boucher, Crebbin, Scott, Smith, and Purkis (2015), a sample formed by Australian, American, New Zealander and 7…”