Psychotherapy training in Brazil: Experiences of psychiatric trainees and early career psychiatrists.

Understanding and skills in psychotherapy are fundamental aspects of clinical psychiatry practice. Learning about psychotherapy during the training of psychiatrists offers solid opportunities for developing high standards of psychiatric practice and providing better outcomes for patients. However, little is known about the extent that psychotherapy training is available to psychiatrists in America. This study aimed to analyze the status of psychotherapy training in Brazil through the experiences of early-career psychiatrists. This is a cross-sectional survey conducted between July and November 2021. A 16-item questionnaire was used to investigate: the quality of psychotherapy training; the organizational aspects of psychotherapy training; and satisfaction with training in psychotherapy. The majority of participants reported having mandatory training in psychotherapy, mainly in cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy. However, only had some practical experience with psychotherapy training. This study highlights the frequent use of psychotherapy training among Brazilian early career psychiatrists. The consensus on the necessity of mandatory psychotherapy training underscores its importance in shaping psychiatric practice. While participants express satisfaction with psychotherapy supervision, the financial burden for advanced training raises concerns. These findings advocate for the improvement of the quality of psychotherapy training in Brazil.

Therapists' Perceived Competence in Delivering Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy During Statewide Learning Collaboratives.

The learning collaborative (LC), a multi-component training and implementation model, is one promising approach to address the need for increased availability of trauma-focused evidence-based practices. The current study used data from four cohorts of a statewide LC on Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) to 1) evaluate pre- to post-LC changes in therapists' perceived competence in delivering TF-CBT and 2) explore therapist and contextual factors related to therapists' perceived TF-CBT competence. Therapists (N = 237) completed pre- and post-LC measures of practice information, interprofessional collaboration, organizational climate, and TF-CBT knowledge, perceived competence, and use. Findings indicated therapists' perceived TF-CBT competence significantly increased, pre- to post-LC (d = 1.31), with greater use of trauma-focused practices at pre-training and more TF-CBT training cases completed predicting greater pre- to post-LC gains in perceived TF-CBT competence. These findings highlight the need to assist therapists in identifying and completing training cases to promote competence and implementation.

Evidence-based Treatment for Substance Use Disorders in Community Mental Health Centers: the ACCESS Program.

A significant gap remains in the availability and accessibility of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) in community substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. This study describes a 2-year statewide training initiative that sought to address this gap by training community-based therapists in motivational enhancement/cognitive behavioral therapy (MET/CBT). Therapists (N = 93) participated in a 2-day MET/CBT workshop followed by bi-weekly clinical consultation, fidelity monitoring, guided readings, and online resources. Therapists completed pre-training and follow-up assessments measuring knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and implementation barriers. Most therapists attended 10 or more consultation calls. Submission of session recordings for feedback was the least utilized training element. Therapists reported increased confidence in their ability to implement MET/CBT for SUD and demonstrated improvement in MI and CBT knowledge. Therapists reported several implementation barriers, including lack of time and opportunity to treat patients with MET/CBT. Recommendations for future training initiatives and addressing the barriers identified in this study are discussed.

Systematic review of training in cognitive-behavioral therapy: Summarizing effects, costs and techniques.

With the steadily growing importance of psychotherapeutic care, there is also an increasing need for high-quality training. We analyze the literature published between 2009 and 2022 on the effectiveness of training in cognitive behavioral therapy. The review addresses current gaps in the literature by focusing on the description of specific training components and their associated costs, as well as examining therapist-level predictors of training effectiveness. Our findings confirm the effect of additional supervision on both therapist competence and patient outcomes. Instructor-led training and self-guided web-based training seem to moderately increase competence, especially when targeting specific and highly structured treatments or skills. The level of prior training and experience of a therapist appears to predict the strength of training-related gains in competence. Few studies analyzed the differential effect of certain elements of training (e.g., the amount of active learning strategies) and training costs were generally not reported. Future studies should replicate or expand the existing evidence on active ingredients and therapist-level predictors of training effectiveness. Costs should be systematically reported to enhance the comparability of different training strategies.

Adherence, Competence, and Alliance as Predictors of Long-term Outcomes of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety Disorders.

The present study investigated therapist adherence, therapist competence, and patient-therapist alliance as predictors of long-term outcomes of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders in youth. Potential differential effects for group versus individual CBT, for therapists with or without formal CBT training, and based on youth symptom severity were examined. Videotapes (n = 181) from treatment sessions in a randomized controlled effectiveness trial comprising youth (N = 170, M age = 11.6 years, SD = 2.1) with anxiety disorders were assessed for therapist adherence and competence. Alliance was rated by therapists and youth. Participants completed a diagnostic interview and an anxiety symptom measure at pre-treatment, post-treatment, one-year follow-up, and long-term follow-up (M = 3.9 years post-treatment, SD = 0.8, range = 2.2-5.9 years). The change in anxiety symptoms or diagnostic status from pre-treatment to long-term follow-up was not significantly related to any predictor variables. However, several interaction effects were found. For loss of principal diagnosis, therapist competence predicted positive outcome when therapist adherence also was high. Adherence was found to predict positive outcome if CBT was provided individually. Therapist-rated alliance was related to both loss of principal diagnosis and loss of all diagnoses when CBT was provided in groups. Interaction effects suggested that therapists displaying both high adherence and high competence produced better long-term outcomes. Further, the alliance may be particularly important for outcomes in group CBT, whereas adherence may be particularly important for outcomes in individual CBT.

Maladaptive therapist schemas in CBT practice, training and supervision: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Maladaptive therapist schemas are hypothesized to generate difficulties within cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) practice, training and supervision. Without adequate identification and management, they negatively affect the cognitions and emotions of the therapist, leading them to behave in ways that risk ruptures or therapy and supervision being delivered in a suboptimal fashion. Consequently, there is a need to synthesize the research that has been undertaken to date on the content, prevalence, identification and management of maladaptive therapist schemas. METHOD: A scoping review was undertaken of studies that have been published since 2001 on the impact of maladaptive therapist schemas (also referred to interchangeably as beliefs or cognitions) in CBT practice, training and supervision. Thirteen studies were identified in a literature search from four electronic databases, a reference list search of identified articles and hand searches. RESULTS: Three overall themes were identified in the research: (1) prevalence of therapist schemas, (2) specific therapist beliefs and (3) therapist characteristics associated with the delivery of suboptimal CBT or supervision. While there is little empirical support for therapist schemas, therapist resistance and beliefs relating to the fear of using exposure therapy were identified. Therapist intolerance of uncertainty and self-esteem were recurrent factors. CONCLUSION: There is no consensus on how to define, identify, formulate or respond to maladaptive therapist beliefs or schemas in clinical practice, training or supervision. Further research is needed to better understand their origins, maintaining factors and appropriate management of their impact.

Implementation of a Low-Cost, Multi-component, Web-Based Training for Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.

Effective, interactive trainings in evidence-based practices remain expensive and largely inaccessible to most practicing clinicians. To address this need, the current study evaluated the impact of a low-cost, multi-component, web-based training for Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) on clinicians' TF-CBT knowledge, strategy use, adherence and skill. Clinician members of a practice-based research network were recruited via email and randomized to either an immediate training group (N = 89 assigned) or waitlist control group (N = 74 assigned) that was offered access to the same training after six months, with half of each group further randomized to receive or not receive incentives for participation. Clinicians completed assessments at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months covering TF-CBT knowledge, strategy use, and for a subset of clinicians (n = 28), TF-CBT adherence and skill. Although significant differences in overall TF-CBT skillfulness and readiness were found, there were no significant differences between the training and waitlist control group on TF-CBT knowledge and strategy use at six months. However, there was considerable variability in the extent of training completed by clinicians. Subsequent post-hoc analyses indicated a significant, positive association between the extent of training completed by clinicians and clinician TF-CBT knowledge, strategy use, demonstrated adherence and skill across the three TF-CBT components, and overall TF-CBT readiness. We also explored whether incentives predicted training participation and found no differences in training activity participation between clinicians who were offered an incentive and those who were not. Findings highlight the limitations of self-paced web-based trainings. Implications for web-based trainings are discussed.

Differences in psychotherapy preferences between psychotherapy trainees and laypeople.

Despite increasing research on psychotherapy preferences, the preferences of psychotherapy trainees are largely unknown. Moreover, differences in preferences between trainees and their patients could (a) hinder symptom improvement and therapy success for patients and (b) represent significant obstacles in the early career and development of future therapists.We compared the preferences of n = 466 psychotherapy trainees to those of n = 969 laypersons using the Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences. Moreover, we compared preferences between trainees in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic trainees.We found significant differences between both samples in 13 of 18 items, and three of four subscales. Psychotherapy trainees preferred less therapist directiveness (d = 0.58), more emotional intensity (d = 0.74), as well as more focused challenge (d = 0.35) than laypeople. CBT trainees preferred more therapist directiveness (d = 2.00), less emotional intensity (d = 0.51), more present orientation (d = 0.76) and more focused challenge (d = 0.33) than trainees in psychodynamic/psychoanalytic therapy.Overall, the results underline the importance of implementing preference assessment and discussion during psychotherapy training. Moreover, therapists of different orientations seem to cover a large range of preferences for patients, in order to choose the right fit.

Online training for evidence-based child trauma treatment: evaluation of the German language TF-CBT-Web.

Background: Evidence-based trauma-focused interventions for treating PTSD in children and youth are barely used in practice. Web-based training has proven to be an effective way of transferring knowledge to healthcare professionals. Objective: TF-CBT Web is a web-based training programme designed to foster the dissemination of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) for children and youth, and is run by the Medical University of South Carolina. This paper describes the characteristics of healthcare professionals who registered for the adapted German language version of TF-CBT Web. It evaluates the effectiveness and user friendliness of the programme. Method: : Similar to the TF-CBT treatment manual, the German language TF-CBT Web contains 12 modules. Between 2018 and 2020, 4,020 users registered for the programme. During the registration process users provided demographic information. The knowledge of users regarding the TF-CBT components was assessed via pre-tests and post-tests in each module. Results: The programme was accessed by a sample of mostly German users with varying professional health care backgrounds and a wide-ranging spread of work experience. The results indicated a significant knowledge gain and high rates of user satisfaction with the programme. Conclusions: In summary, the results of this study suggested that web-based training is an effective and well-accepted method for knowledge gain in trauma-focused interventions. Future research should evaluate the actual application of the taught methods in clinical practice. HIGHLIGHTS: Children and adolescents with PTSD require trauma-focused treatment. However, evidence-based interventions for this patient population are barely used. Therefore, it is necessary to expand professional training for the treatment of traumatised children and adolescents.Our evaluation showed the effectiveness and feasibility of a web-based training programme for mental health practitioners in an evidence-based treatment for children and youth with PTSD (TF-CBT). Results show a significant knowledge gain of users who participate in the web-based training programme.The user satisfaction survey also revealed that users found the modus and content of the web-based training applicable and relevant for their clinical practice.

Antecedentes: Las intervenciones centradas en el trauma basadas en la evidencia para tratar el TEPT en niños y jóvenes apenas se utilizan en la práctica. La capacitación basada en la web ha demostrado ser una forma efectiva de transferir conocimientos a los profesionales de la salud.Objetivo: TF-CBT Web es un programa de capacitación basado en la web, diseñado para fomentar la difusión de la Terapia cognitiva conductual centrada en el trauma (TF-CBT por sus siglas en ingles) para niños y jóvenes, y está a cargo de la Universidad Médica de Carolina del Sur. Este artículo describe las características de los profesionales de la salud que se registraron en la versión alemana adaptada del TF-CBT Web. Evalúa la eficacia y la facilidad de uso del programa.Método: Similar al manual de tratamiento de TF-CBT, el sitio web de TF-CBT en alemán contiene 12 módulos. Entre 2018 y 2020 se registraron 4.020 usuarios en el programa. Durante el proceso de registro, los usuarios proporcionaron información demográfica. El conocimiento de los usuarios sobre los componentes de la TF-CBT se evaluó mediante pruebas previas y posteriores en cada módulo.Resultados: El programa fue completado por una muestra de usuarios en su mayoría alemanes con diferentes antecedentes profesionales en el cuidado de la salud, y una amplia variedad de experiencia laboral. Los resultados indicaron una ganancia de conocimiento significativa y altos índices de satisfacción de los usuarios con el programa.Conclusiones: En resumen, los resultados de este estudio sugirieron que la capacitación basada en la web es un método efectivo y bien aceptado para adquirir conocimientos en intervenciones centradas en el trauma. La investigación futura debe evaluar la aplicación real de los métodos enseñados en la práctica clínica.

The Lived Experiences of Learning Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: a Qualitative Study of Psychiatry Residents.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the lived experiences, beliefs, attitudes, and needs of psychiatry residents learning cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). METHOD: Eight general psychiatry residents beginning their outpatient psychotherapy training in July 2020, answered open-ended questions about their experiences learning CBT in October 2020. The residents learned CBT through didactics, role-play, observation, video review, and individual and group supervision. Participants were asked to describe their experiences broadly, reflect on the simple and challenging aspects of learning, identify the most and least helpful learning modalities, and share thoughts or personal reflections activated through their journey. Written data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology, including the extraction of significance statements and collapsing of meaning statements into key thematic clusters. Verification strategies were used to ensure the trustworthiness and credibility of data analysis. RESULTS: Participants found various learning modalities effective, most notably individual and group supervision. While rapport building and mood checks were least challenging, many found adhering to structure or implementation of advanced techniques to be the more arduous parts of learning. Patient progress tended to stimulate resident engagement, whereas incomplete action plans or lack of observable treatment gains led to some automatic negative thoughts. Many participants applied CBT techniques to themselves to address their own automatic thoughts, biases, or behavioral patterns. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study offer valuable insight about learners' experiences of becoming a therapist that could help normalize residents' experiences and help educators guide residents through the learning process.

Evaluating a community-based training program for evidence-based treatments for PTSD using the RE-AIM framework.

Community mental health providers increasingly serve veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, recent surveys find that less than 20% of community providers are adequately trained to implement evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for PTSD. Since 2017, the STRONG STAR Training Initiative (SSTI) model has adapted traditional learning collaboratives aimed at increasing availability of EBTs for PTSD in community settings. This study reports on STRONG STAR program evaluation using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to assess dissemination and implementation outcomes. Between January 2018 and January 2020, 280 mental health providers from 25 states participated. Providers initiating EBTs for PTSD with 930 patients, reaching 29% who had PTSD among their caseload. Overall, 238 of patients who initiated EBT completed treatment. Patients who completed treatment demonstrated a 32.51-point decrease, t(237) = 25.27, p < .001, in PTSD symptom severity and an 8.73-point decrease, t(231) = 19.95, p < .001, in depression symptom severity following treatment. High rates of SSTI providers continued implementing EBT for PTSD at 6 months (cognitive processing therapy [CPT]: 95%; prolonged exposure [PE]: 72%) and 1-year (CPT: 87%; PE: 77%) posttraining, similar to outcomes reported by community and Department of Veterans Affairs providers. In reporting on the first evaluation of a National Training Program for community-based mental health providers, we look ahead to continued work in refining scalable models for building provider competence in delivery of EBTs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Should personal practice be part of cognitive behaviour therapy training? Results from two self-practice/self-reflection cohort control pilot studies.

There are good theoretical and empirical grounds to suggest that personal practices (PPs; e.g., self-practice/self-reflection [SP/SR] programmes, meditation programmes and personal therapy) can have a positive impact on therapist skills and client outcomes. However, to date, a weakness in many PP studies is the lack of cohort control groups. The two pilot studies reported in this paper examined SP/SR programmes integrated into postgraduate psychology training and are the first to include cohort control groups. Study 1 compared outcomes of students assigned to either SP/SR (n = 17) or a cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) book study group (n = 13) during their first clinical placement. Study 2 compared outcomes of students who completed the SP/SR programme as part of CBT training (n = 12) with participants who completed the same CBT training in the previous year without an SP/SR programme (n = 17). Significant improvements in therapist confidence for the SP/SR groups were found in both studies. Study 2 also showed significantly higher therapist self-awareness and lower burnout scores in the SP/SR group. These studies are limited by their small sample size and the lack of random allocation. Nevertheless, they provide preliminary empirical evidence demonstrating large effects of PP on trainees' personal and therapist selves and offer a basis for further research using randomized controlled designs with larger sample sizes.

Personal practice in counselling and CBT trainees: the self-perceived impact of personal therapy and self-practice/self-reflection on personal and professional development.

With growing evidence for the potential value of personal practices (PPs) in therapist training, it is important to determine which PPs may be most valuable for which therapists under what conditions. This is the first study to compare the impact of two different PPs selected by accredited therapy training programs as the most appropriate PP for their trainees. Using the same validated outcome measure, the Self-focused Practice Questionnaire, the impact of personal therapy for counselling psychology trainees was compared with the impact of self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR) training for CBT trainees. The number of PP hours was similar across the two groups. The SP/SR group were older and may have been more experienced professionally. SP/SR was perceived by CBT trainees to be significantly more beneficial for personal and professional development than personal therapy by counselling trainees. Possible reasons are discussed. Although the study does not constitute a direct experimental comparison of personal therapy and SP/SR amongst matched trainees of the same theoretical orientation, it is notable in demonstrating that in training contexts where PP was mandatory, SP/SR was experienced more positively by the CBT trainees than personal therapy by the counselling trainees.

Can we really teach cognitive behavioral therapy with a massive open online course?

A better training in psychotherapy is needed for psychiatry trainees. Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT) could be a good solution. Free and wide audience course like Massive Open Online course (MOOCs) increase dissemination and accessibility of the training. However, the engagement needs to be improved. A hybrid approach seems relevant with the MOOC as an incentive. Beyond the promotion of the topic, a MOOC can be a promotion tool for the provider. The economic model of the MOOC needed to be taken into account to allow sustainability. To explore these elements, we take into account a survey taken during the 1st European Psychiatric Association MOOC about CBT.

Effectiveness of Task-Shifted Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children Who Experienced Parental Death and Posttraumatic Stress in Kenya and Tanzania: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Approximately 140 million children worldwide have experienced the death of one or both parents. These children, mostly in low- and middle-income countries, have higher rates of mental health problems than those who have not experienced parental death. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may improve the well-being of these children, but to our knowledge there have been no randomized clinical trials specifically focused on this population. Objectives: To test the effectiveness of trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) for improving posttraumatic stress (PTS) in children in Kenya and Tanzania who have experienced parental death, to test the effects of TF-CBT on other mental health symptoms, and to examine the feasibility of task-shifting with greater reliance on experienced, local lay counselors as trainers and supervisors. Design, Setting, and Participants: A randomized clinical trial conducted in urban and rural areas of Tanzania and Kenya compared TF-CBT and usual care (UC) for 640 children aged 7 to 13 years who were recruited from February 13, 2013, to July 24, 2015. All children had experienced the death of one or both parents and had elevated PTS and/or prolonged grief. Interviewers were masked to study condition. Participants were followed up for 12 months after the randomized clinical trial. Statistical analysis was performed from February 3, 2017, to August 26, 2019. All analyses were on an intent-to-treat basis. Interventions: In the intervention condition, 320 children received 12 weeks of group TF-CBT delivered by lay counselors who were supervised weekly. In the UC condition, 320 children received community services typically offered to this population. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was PTS, evaluated using a continuous, standardized measure. Other mental health symptoms and child-guardian relationship were also measured. Results: A total of 640 children (320 girls and 320 boys; mean [SD] age, 10.6 [1.6] years) were included in the study. Trauma-focused CBT was more effective than UC for PTS in 3 of 4 sites after treatment (end of 3-month randomized clinical trial): rural Kenya (Cohen d = 1.04 [95% CI, 0.72-1.36]), urban Kenya (Cohen d = 0.56 [95% CI, 0.29-0.83]), and urban Tanzania (Cohen d = 0.45 [95% CI, 0.10-0.80]). At 12-month follow-up, TF-CBT remained more effective than UC in both rural (Cohen d = 0.86 [95% CI, 0.64-1.07]) and urban (Cohen d = 0.99 [95% CI, 0.75-1.23]) Kenya. At 12-month follow-up in Tanzania, children who received TF-CBT and UC had comparable rates of improvement (rural Tanzania, Cohen d = 0.09 [95% CI, -0.08 to 0.26]; urban Tanzania, Cohen d = 0.11 [95% CI, -0.09 to 0.31]). A similar pattern was seen for secondary outcomes, with stronger effects observed in Kenya, where children experienced greater stress and adversity (eg, more food scarcity, poorer guardian health, and greater exposure to traumatic events). Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that TF-CBT was more effective than UC in reducing PTS among children who experienced parental death in 3 of 4 sites in Kenya and Tanzania. At 12-month follow-up, TF-CBT was more effective in reducing PTS only among children in rural and urban Kenya. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01822366.

Featured counter-trafficking program: Project intersect.

This invited article is one of several comprising part of a special issue of Child Abuse and Neglect focused on child trafficking and health. The purpose of each invited article is to describe a specific program serving trafficked children. Featuring these programs is intended to raise awareness of innovative counter-trafficking strategies emerging worldwide and facilitate collaboration on program development and outcomes research. This article describes Project Intersect, a program of mental health services and behavioral health professional training designed to address trauma-related psychological and behavioral problems experienced by adolescent survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. The project is led by the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy in Atlanta, GA, USA. The primary goal of the program is to build a cadre of behavioral health specialists with skills to implement trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy to address the unique needs of trafficked/exploited youth. This involves intensive initial training, follow-up consultation, technical support, and program evaluation.

Effects of Mental Health Paraprofessional Training for Filipina Foreign Domestic Workers in Singapore.

Research has found that 24% of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) in Singapore have poor mental health (24%), with depressive symptoms being identified as the second most severe psychological symptoms [1]. The study assessed the acceptability and effectiveness of a 4-week cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based paraprofessional training program for FDWs in Singapore on depression literacy and CBT knowledge (primary outcomes), depression-related stigma, as well as attitudes towards seeking professional help (secondary outcomes) immediately and 2 months following the training. Forty female Filipino FDWs were recruited and randomized into either a CBT-based paraprofessional training program or wait-list (WL) group. Participants completed outcome measures before, after, and 2 months following their training. No significant difference was found on changes on any of the outcome variables in the intervention group as compared to the WL group. Following training, both groups showed significantly improved depression literacy, CBT knowledge, and attitudes towards seeking professional help. These changes were sustained at 2-month follow-up. All participants indicated a high level of satisfaction with the training program. While findings from between-group analyses do not support the efficacy of the CBT-based paraprofessional training program in improving depression literacy and related outcomes, participation in the program was associated with improvements in several outcomes within the training group. Future research should explore adaptations to the program (e.g., in terms of training duration and modes of delivery) that would increase its efficacy in improving depression literacy and CBT knowledge among FDWs.

[When the seed sprouts: The first thirty years of the VIKOTE].

The Hungarian Association for Behavioural, Cognitive and Schema Therapies (HABCT) has continuously been developing since its foundation 30 years ago. László Tringer was the first to teach Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in Hungary and to establish the first educational team. Their goal was to familiarise doctors and other professionals with CBT's methodology in psychotherapy. They conducted research in the field using CBT and supported other research projects as well. Today, HABCT has its own Psychotherapy Center running various programs from multilevel psychotherapy and individual training, to patient care and other health related programs. The leaders of the association were present and assisted the works of the Hungarian Psychiatric Association, Hungarian Psychological Association, Psychotherapeutic Gremium, Psychotherapeutic Co-ordination Committee and international cognitive behavioural associations.

Measuring Patients' Acquisition of Therapy Skills in Psychotherapy for Depression: Assessing the CCTS-SR and the IPSS-SR.

Using data from 202 patients with depression, the authors conducted a psychometric evaluation of the Dutch translation of the Competencies of Cognitive Therapy Scale-Self-Report and an initial psychometric evaluation of the newly developed Interpersonal Psychotherapy Skills Scale-Self-Report.

Can education and training improve the adoption of a psychosocial group treatment by dementia services?

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is a psychosocial group treatment for people with dementia. The aims of this project were to (a) evaluate the effectiveness of a one-day training workshop; (b) measure the uptake of CST following the workshops; and (c) explore the barriers of implementing CST. METHOD: Ten workshops were conducted. Attendees completed a self-evaluation at the end of the training day and were later invited to complete an online survey enquiring about implementation. RESULTS: Two hundred and fourteen workshop attendees completed the self-evaluation. The mean self-rated knowledge and skills for conducting and facilitating CST (1 = No skills, 5 = Very good skills) was 2.3 (SD = 1.2) and 4.3 (SD = 0.7) before and after the workshop, respectively (p = 0.000). The mean self-rated confidence for applying learning to conducting and facilitating CST was 4.2 (SD = 0.7) (1 = Not confident, 5 = Very confident). There were 11 CST programmes started after the workshops and another 10 sites were in the process of starting CST programmes. The main barriers of implementation were lack of staff time/funding and problems of finding suitable participants with dementia. CONCLUSIONS: The one-day training workshop is an effective method to disseminate CST. Addressing the barriers identified could improve the adoption of CST in practice.