Patrizia Odyniec1, Thomas Probst2, Jürgen Margraf3, Ulrike Willutzki1. 1. a School of Psychology , University Witten/Herdecke , Witten , Germany. 2. b Georg-Elias-Müller Institute for Psychology , Georg-August-University Göttingen , Göttingen , Germany. 3. c Department of Psychology , Ruhr University Bochum , Bochum , Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study examined psychotherapist trainees' experiences of "professional self-doubt" (PSD) and "negative personal reaction" (NPR) during cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and their associations with patients' symptoms and interpersonal problems. METHOD: Forty therapists treating 621 patients were analyzed. Patients' symptoms and interpersonal problems were collected repeatedly during therapy. Data about patients' interpersonal problems were available only for 106 patients and 18 therapists. Therapists' difficulties were assessed as trait-based (one assessment across all patients) and as state-based (repeated assessments for each individual patient) difficulties. Multilevel models were performed. RESULTS: None of the trait-based difficulties correlated with the change of the patients' symptoms. Yet, more NPR at the trait-level predicted a more favorable change, whereas higher PSD at the trait-level showed an opposite effect on change of patients' interpersonal problems. Regarding state-based difficulties, PSD as well as NPR decreased significantly over the course of CBT. Patients whose therapists' experienced PSD to increase during CBT were at risk of a less favorable patient progress regarding symptoms, whereas the change of interpersonal problems was not significantly associated with changes in therapists' difficulties. CONCLUSION: Patients' progress is associated with therapists' experiences of difficulties. Yet, trait- and state-based difficulties lead to different results.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined psychotherapist trainees' experiences of "professional self-doubt" (PSD) and "negative personal reaction" (NPR) during cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and their associations with patients' symptoms and interpersonal problems. METHOD: Forty therapists treating 621 patients were analyzed. Patients' symptoms and interpersonal problems were collected repeatedly during therapy. Data about patients' interpersonal problems were available only for 106 patients and 18 therapists. Therapists' difficulties were assessed as trait-based (one assessment across all patients) and as state-based (repeated assessments for each individual patient) difficulties. Multilevel models were performed. RESULTS: None of the trait-based difficulties correlated with the change of the patients' symptoms. Yet, more NPR at the trait-level predicted a more favorable change, whereas higher PSD at the trait-level showed an opposite effect on change of patients' interpersonal problems. Regarding state-based difficulties, PSD as well as NPR decreased significantly over the course of CBT. Patients whose therapists' experienced PSD to increase during CBT were at risk of a less favorable patient progress regarding symptoms, whereas the change of interpersonal problems was not significantly associated with changes in therapists' difficulties. CONCLUSION:Patients' progress is associated with therapists' experiences of difficulties. Yet, trait- and state-based difficulties lead to different results.
Entities:
Keywords:
Ergebnis; Therapeuteneffekte; Therapeutenerleben von Schwierigkeiten; efeitos do terapeuta; effetti del terapeuta; esperienze di difficoltà del terapeuta; experiência de dificuldades dos terapeutas; insegurança profissional; negative personal reaction; negative persönliche Reaktion; outcome; professional self-doubt; professionelle Selbstzweifel; reazione personale negativa; reação pessoal negativa; resultado; self-doubt professionale; therapist effects; therapists’ experience of difficulties; 成效; 治療師效果; 治療師的困難經驗; 自我專業懷疑; 負面個人反應