The project is a longitudinal observation study that aims to systematically evaluate selected parts of the material collected within the framework of the psychotherapy training conducted at the Center of Psychotherapy Education and Research unit at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm, Sweden. Students at the unit, patients being administered psychotherapy by the students, and supervisors will participate in the study.
The aim of the present study is to investigate the associations between (1) content and quality of psychotherapy supervision, (2) student therapists' competence, and (3) patient outcomes following student-led psychotherapy.
Students at one of the following courses/programs: Primary training in evidence-based psychotherapeutic methods (three semesters) and specialty trainee (ST) for doctors in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry (two semesters), the postgraduate psychotherapist program (six semesters), and the specialist training program for clinical psychologists (six semesters).
Clinical supervisors for the students in the abovementioned courses/programs.
Patients in psychotherapy with students in the abovementioned courses/programs as therapists. The patients are regular patients at public health care facilities in psychiatry and primary care.
Students, supervisors, and patients must consent to inclusion.
No exclusion criteria are applied.
Psychotherapy students at the Center for Psychotherapy Education and Research, Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm, Sweden
Cohort
Prospective
Psychotherapy education
BehavioralPsychotherapy education, including supervision, lectures, and workshops
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment 7 (GAD-7)
The GAD-7 is originally a measure for generalized anxiety disorder, but it is also frequently used to assess general anxiety. The form consists of seven items with a four-point scale. The range is 0-21 points. An eight item describes how disruptive the anxiety is from not at all to very significant, which is not included in the total score. The GAD-7 has been translated into Swedish and has shown good psychometric properties in terms of both reliability and validity.
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
The PHQ-9 is a well-established depression questionnaire consisting of nine items that correspond to the diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode according to the DMS-5. How often the symptoms have bothered the patient in the past two weeks is rated by the patient, at the start and end of treatment, on a four-point scale. The range is 0-27 points. The PHQ-9 has been translated into Swedish and has good internal consistency and test-retest reliability.
The WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0)
The WHODAS 2.0 is a widely used generic assessment instrument that provides a standardized method for measuring health and disability across cultures. The form is based on a set of questions from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) that are sufficiently reliable and sensitive to measure changes after interventions. The form is available in seven different versions with 36 questions, 12 questions, and 12+24 questions as interview-administered, self-administered, and proxy-administered, respectively. In the project, the self-administered 12-question form is used.
The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
The AUDIT is a widely used instrument for identifying hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption. The instrument was initially developed by the WHO and consists of a ten-item questionnaire designed to measure three domains: consumption, dependence, and alcohol-related harm. The project uses a cut-off point of 5 points as an indication of mild alcohol use disorder. The project uses the AUDIT-C, which includes the first three questions of the AUDIT.
Psychotherapy summary
At the end of each treatment, all students write a summary of the treatment consisting of questions about the student (socio-demographic and contextual), the patient (socio-demographic and clinical), and the treatment (e.g., content, duration, and compliance). The summary concludes by summarizing the results of the patient's pre- and post-measurements, which are guided by the patient's problem domain.
Cognitive Therapy Scale-Revised (CTS-R)
The CTS-R is a standard instrument for assessing CBT competence that measures both general psychotherapy aspects and specific CBT aspects. The instrument contains twelve items, which are rated on a scale from 0 to 6 points corresponding to six different categories of therapist competence (incompetent, novice, advanced, beginner, competent, knowledgeable, and expert). The CTS-R has been translated into Swedish and has shown acceptable psychometric properties in several studies.
Supervision Adherence and Guidance Evaluation (Short-SAGE)
The Short-SAGE is an observational tool to evaluate supervisors' skills and adherence to CBT supervision. Short-SAGE describes 14 behaviors (competencies of the supervisor and supervisee), grouped on two main factors: the Supervisor's set (specific behaviors of the supervisor that are believed to facilitate optimal learning through experience) and the Supervisee's set (specific learning competencies that can be observed in the supervisee). The assessor observes a tutoring session and rates the competencies observed on a 7-point scale. For training purposes, a simpler 3-point scale is used. The instrument is available in Swedish and English, is fairly new, and has only undergone preliminary psychometric evaluations.
Evaluation of Supervisory Skills and Adherence, 2019 (ESSA-19)
The ESSA-19 is a behavioral coding system to evaluate supervisors' skills and adherence to MI supervision. ESSA has been developed to be used as a tool for structured feedback to MI supervisors and as a measure of supervisory integrity in clinical trials. The manual has been developed at the unit 2019. The instrument is relatively new and has only undergone preliminary psychometric evaluations.
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Region Stockholm
Lead sponsor
Karolinska Institutet
Collaborator
