[Maintaining a Strong Therapeutic Alliance: Initial Experiences with the Alliance-Focused Training (AFT) in Germany]. / Umgang mit Spannungen und Krisen in der therapeutischen Beziehung: Erste Erfahrungen mit einem handlungsorientierten Ausbildungs- und Supervisionskonzept.

AIMS: Alliance Focused Training (AFT) 1 aims at enhancing therapists' competences in resolving ruptures in the therapeutic alliance using video recordings and role-plays. This pilot study funded by the Heigl Foundation aimed at presenting initial results and clinical experiences with AFT in Germany, and to prepare a subsequent RCT. METHODS: 7 trainee therapists participated. Therapies of 15 patients with depressive disorder were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Trainees experienced AFT as very helpful for their professional development and for dealing with alliance ruptures. The therapeutic competence significantly improved both in self and in observer ratings. The results indicate that AFT is a promising approach to improve psychotherapy training, emphasizing the relevance of the planned proof of concept RCT.

Facilitative interpersonal skills performance test: Psychometric analysis of a German language version.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at a psychometric analysis of the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) performance test, a test of therapist relational skills that has repeatedly been found to predict psychotherapy outcome. We investigated the reliability, unidimensionality, and convergent validity of a German language version and psychometrics relevant for repeated and short assessments. METHOD: Thirty-nine trainee therapists took the FIS performance test and responded to self-report scales. RESULTS: Inter-rater agreement and internal consistency were high. The findings suggest that the FIS is a unidimensional scale. Correlations between the FIS and self-reported social skills, interpersonal problems, and working involvement were absent to low. FIS performance was independent from specific video stimuli and there was no indication of temporal effects. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the FIS is robust and ready to be used in repeated assessments and in short form. Further conceptual clarification of the FIS is needed.