Structured learning in teaching therapists social skills training: acquisition, maintenance, and impact on client outcome

Can we enhance the training of clinical supervisors? A national pilot study of an evidence-based approach

Clinical supervision plays an essential part in maintaining professional standards and in achieving the National Health Service's objective of a modern workforce. Paradoxically, little is known about how supervisors themselves acquire competence, leading to lament that 'something does not compute'. To contribute to a solution, a supervisor training manual that guided trainers in delivering continuing professional development to supervisors in an evidence-based approach to clinical supervision was piloted nationally, in terms of the reactions of trainers (N = 25 tutors from clinical psychology courses) and their workshop delegates (N = 256 clinical psychology supervisors). Trainers were allocated randomly to either manual-alone or to a manual-plus consultancy group. The trainers all rated the manual favourably (mean rating of 78%), but there was no significant difference between the two groups. However, the supervisors within the consultancy group rated the sessions significantly more highly than their counterparts. It is concluded that brief training in an evidence-based approach appears feasible and acceptable, making more rigorous evaluations appropriate.

Anxiety Management in the Community: A Social Support Model and Preliminary Evaluation

It is becoming increasingly evident that informal psychotherapy plays a significant part in the coping strategies people use to alleviate personal distress. A form of this “social support” was evaluated in a pilot study in which ex-clients served as therapists for informal community groups made up of people experiencing clinical anxiety. Three major questions were addressed: what are the training effects of a short workshop on the ex-clients' social support skills?; can the trained ex-clients help people suffering with clinical anxiety?; and finally, does this involvement have an adverse effect on the psychological well being of these lay therapists. Between and within group analyses with multiple measures indicated that the workshop was successful in all three targeted areas. Implications are drawn for the pattern of formal psychotherapy services.

Training counseling and problem-solving skills with university students

Often nonprofessionals lack specific instruction in relevant counseling and problem-solving skills. The effects of training procedures on counseling and problem-solving behaviors were examined experimentally with university students. The procedures involved the use of behavioral specifications, rationales, situational examples, study guides, and practice plus feedback on performance. Following training, the average percentage of occurrence of counseling and problem-solving behaviors increased to 89%. Generalization data in sessions with actual clients and expert ratings of the overall quality of counseling provided evidence of generalization to other settings and other evaluative dimensions of counseling and problem-solving performance.