Therapists' responses to training in brief supportive psychotherapy

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Limited research exists on effective supportive psychotherapy training methods.
• Supportive psychotherapy (SP) is a recognized therapeutic approach, but training protocols are not standardized.
• Understanding therapist adaptation to new psychotherapy models is crucial for effective implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the training process for clinicians in brief supportive psychotherapy (BSP) for a multisite depression study.
• To assess therapist attitudes and experiences with BSP after training.
• To investigate potential differences in adaptation based on prior cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) training.

Main Methods:

• A training program for brief supportive psychotherapy (BSP) was developed and implemented for a multisite depression study.
• A survey questionnaire was administered to participating therapists to gather data on their attitudes and experiences.
• Therapist responses were analyzed, focusing on comfort with BSP concepts, frustration with intervention restrictions, and overall appreciation.

Main Results:

• Most therapists (16/18) reported increased comfort with supportive psychotherapy concepts and interventions.
• Therapists with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) backgrounds did not report significantly greater frustration with BSP intervention restrictions.
• All participating therapists indicated plans to use BSP in their practice and felt the training enhanced their appreciation of psychotherapy.

Conclusions:

• Clinicians can be effectively trained in brief supportive psychotherapy (BSP), even with limited prior experience in supportive approaches.
• BSP training is adaptable and appreciated by therapists, irrespective of their primary therapeutic orientation (e.g., CBT).
• The study highlights the value of BSP and suggests its broader applicability in clinical settings for depression treatment.