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Differences among trainees in client outcomes associated with the phase model of change
Stephanie L Budge1, Jesse J Owen, S Mark Kopta
1Educational and Counseling Psychology, University of Louisville, KY 40292, USA. stephanie.budge@louisville.edu
Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.)
|October 17, 2012
Summary
Psychotherapy interns and postdocs facilitate greater client improvement in life functioning and symptom reduction compared to psychologists and advanced trainees. This highlights potential training differences in psychotherapy outcome facilitation.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychotherapy Research
Background:
- The phase model of psychotherapy outlines predictable client change processes.
- Understanding how psychotherapist experience influences client outcomes is crucial for training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate psychotherapy trainees' effectiveness in facilitating client change based on the phase model.
- To compare psychotherapy outcomes across different levels of therapist experience.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 1,318 clients from a university counseling center.
- Comparison of outcomes across four therapist experience levels: beginning practicum, advanced practicum, intern/postdoc, and psychologist.
- Focus on client well-being, symptom reduction, and life functioning.
Main Results:
- Clients of interns/postdocs showed significantly greater improvement in life functioning than those of psychologists and advanced practicum students.
- Interns/postdocs' clients also demonstrated significantly greater symptom reduction compared to psychologists' clients.
Conclusions:
- Therapist experience level, particularly at the intern/postdoc stage, appears to be associated with enhanced client outcomes.
- Findings have implications for competency and phase models of psychotherapy training and practice.
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