Patterns of learning in family therapy training

This study presents the results of an evaluation of two cohorts of trainees who had completed a 2-year training program in family therapy. The 15 trainees were assessed in the areas of perceptual/conceptual, intervention/executive skills and personal development both pre- and post-training. Although the group results showed skill acquisition in all areas assessed, the individual results revealed a complexity in performance glossed over by the group analysis. Trainees' learning commenced from different baselines, advanced at different rates, and there was a marked discrepancy between self-reports of improvements (or otherwise) and the results of the observer-rated measures. We recommend that increasing attention be paid to individual differences in learning styles in training and in evaluation.