What research for what training in psychotherapy? Some methodological issues and a proposal

Abstract

To define boundaries and links between research and training in psychotherapy we have to establish what kind of research is needed for this purpose. For defining psychotherapy as a science some basic epistemological premises should be affirmed and specific methods have to be devised, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, diachronic and longitudinal perspectives, cumulative and meta-analytic strategies, focusing both the techniques used in the therapies and the relationship between the therapist subject and the client subject as a core mean for produce change. What should be evaluated in this research process, what methods and techniques of assessment should be preferred, what analyses of data are suitable: these are the main issues addressed in the article, as they are useful for planning the training of a therapist as a researcher, regardless of the privileged theoretical and technical approach. Science and practice have to be connected, since they both allow the monitoring of what occurs within the confines of the therapy and favor exchange among psychotherapists from differing theoretical approaches, which also increases their external visibility in the scientific community and in a wider social context. The goal of fostering scientific attitudes in the psychotherapists needs a specific training, to acquire a research mindedness also out of the academic laboratories. A cooperation among scientific associations and institutions is proposed to reach these objectives necessary for psychotherapists’ trainings including competencies in evaluating and sharing the scientific aspects of their work.

The Therapist’s Intuition and Responsiveness: What Makes the Difference between Expert and in Training Gestalt Psychotherapists

“…“The results of research on psychotherapies drive the professional community to pay more attention to the quality of the training of therapists, based on integration of theoretical-epistemic and technical-methodological aspects” [ 13 ] (p. 328). The capacity of psychotherapists to have a felt sense of the patient’s situation and contextualize it in a field/relational perspective (a therapeutic competence that we call “aesthetic relational knowing” [ 40 ]) is definitely learnt after the training.…”

“…Much work on psychotherapists in training has focused on the effects of supervision during training and on a number of qualities that the therapist should have, including: skills and knowledge of concepts (e.g., academic knowledge, diagnostic skills, and understanding of parallel processes), developing the ability to conduct research [ 13 ], self-awareness (e.g., multicultural and countertransference), intrapersonal characteristics (e.g., self-efficacy and anxiety), specific skills (useful for helping and planning intervention), and self-assessment skills [ 11 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Recently, studies on psychotherapists’ relational skills and responsiveness have gained much interest [ 27 ], and in this study, we ask how much these skills are already present during training and how much they are influenced by it.…”

From Psychiatric Interviews to Psychotherapies

“…It is known that the most contributing factor to emotional healing is "alliance" in all types of psychotherapies [48][49][50][51]. It is important in many respects to maintain the relationship within the frame planned by the physician with the advantage of theoretical knowledge [52]. This relationship consists of words, attitudes and behaviors of the physician, the design of the interview, the format of questions, and how responses are effectively observed and appropriate responses are given [53].…”

Psychological Interventions in the Time of Crisis

“…To sum up, increasing awareness of effective psychological interventions and arranging related training programmes among first-contact health professionals and psychologists are becoming increasingly important [27,28].…”