Targeting clinician concerns about exposure therapy: A pilot study comparing standard vs. enhanced training

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Therapeutic Interventions

Background:

• Clinician concerns regarding exposure therapy's safety and tolerability often lead to overly cautious treatment delivery, potentially limiting efficacy.
• Standard didactic training moderately reduces these concerns but improved strategies are needed for greater impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of a standard didactic training model versus an enhanced training paradigm for exposure therapy.
• To investigate if enhanced training, incorporating social-cognitive theory, better minimizes clinician concerns and improves treatment delivery.

Main Methods:

• Forty-nine clinicians were randomized to either standard didactic training or an enhanced training program.
• The enhanced training incorporated strategies derived from social-cognitive theory focused on attitude change.

Main Results:

• Clinicians receiving enhanced training reported significantly greater reductions in concerns about exposure therapy compared to standard training.
• Enhanced training also led to superior self-reported delivery of exposure therapy by clinicians.
• Reductions in clinician concerns during training mediated the positive effects on treatment delivery.

Conclusions:

• Addressing clinician concerns is vital for effective exposure therapy training.
• Enhanced training strategies, grounded in social-cognitive theory, show promise in improving both clinician confidence and treatment delivery.
• Further research into optimized training methods for exposure therapy is warranted to maximize clinical effectiveness.