Training future psychologists to be competent in self-care: A systematic review.

Abstract

This systematic review explored ways in which doctoral-level clinical and counseling psychology graduate students are trained to build competency in self-care. The study aimed to examine which research methodologies have been utilized to examine self-care training, techniques and content of self-care training, and outcomes and effectiveness of self-care training methods. Twenty-one self-care competency training articles were identified. Results from the systematic review revealed most studies to date are quantitative (47.62%), followed by nonempirical (23.81%), mixed methods (14.29%), and qualitative (14.29%). Among quantitative studies, cross-sectional designs were most common (50%). Five themes of self-care training content were identified: culture of self-care, personal therapy, intervention, workbook/training tool, and mentorship/supervision. Five true outcome studies were identified and included outcomes such as frequency of use of self-care behaviors, self-care competency, wellness, stress, and mindfulness. Preliminary foundational evidence for effectiveness of self-care training methods is discussed. Recommendations are made for future research as well as suggestions at the policy level that incorporate several methods to train the self-care competency across training programs. Trainees and clinicians who practice self-care may then be able to avoid common pitfalls such as burnout, stress, and distress, and thereby function better in their roles as psychologists. Public Significance StatementThis study suggests that there are five types of self-care training that have been studied and implemented within the doctoral-level clinical and counseling psychology student population: creating a culture of self-care, personal therapy, intervention, workbook/training tool, and mentorship/supervision. Though the research on training effectiveness is in its early stages, results of the current systematic review describe preliminary evidence for training type effectiveness, with interventions and creating a self-care culture demonstrating the most promise. This study provides an overview of the state of research examining how to train the self-care competency. Considering self-care is an American Psychological Association mandated ethical standard, it is important to establish empirical evidence for how to and what to train regarding self-care with the dual goals of preventing burnout and protecting patient welfare.

Self-care at Work Matters: How Job and Personal Resources mediate between Self-Care and Psychological Well-being

“…promote healthy functioning (Wise et al, 2012). This idea suggests that mindfulness and physical exercise should be combined, and thus interact in a synergetic way to have a greater impact on coping with work demands, using resources and enhancing employee wellbeing, than independently (Callan et al, 2020). Furthermore, these results are consistent with the meta-analysis conducted by Colman, et al (2016), which highlighted mindfulness and physical activities as the self-care activities more closely related to well-being.…”

“…Two models have been essential to understand the role of personal resources in wellbeing at work: the Conservation of Resources theory (COR) (Hobfoll, 2012) and the Job Demands-Resources Model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017). In this context, self-care activities can act as personal resources to cope with work demands and increase well-being (Callan et al, 2020).…”

Commentary: “How’s It Going?” Training Experiences of Pediatric Postdoctoral Fellows During COVID-19

“…As such, cognitive flexibility and self-care remain vital. Notably, the competency of self-care should be emphasized throughout graduate and fellowship training, and work by Callan et al. (2020) may be informative for program directors.…”

Self-care as a competency benchmark: Creating a culture of shared responsibility.

“…Even when it comes to researching the teaching of self-care, it appears graduate students are also responsible for this. A systematic review of the literature on how doctoral-level psychology students are trained to develop competency with self-care identified 21 studies (Callan et al, 2020). Fourteen of these were dissertations and seven were peer-reviewed publications.…”