How PMHNP Program Directors Facilitate Psychotherapeutic Skill Acquisition

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Psychotherapy Training
• Mental Health Practice

Background:

• Psychotherapy is integral to psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) practice.
• Underutilization in practice may stem from reduced curriculum emphasis.
• No national survey has assessed how PMHNP programs ensure psychotherapy skill acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey U.S. PMHNP programs on psychotherapy skill acquisition methods.
• To evaluate psychotherapeutic curricular content and clinical practicum hours.
• To assess student interest in psychotherapy skills.

Main Methods:

• National survey of PMHNP programs in the United States.
• Three rounds of email invitations to all programs.
• Descriptive statistics and reflective thematic analysis of survey data.

Main Results:

• 39 programs responded (27% response rate).
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing were most common.
• Hybrid programs were most frequent (65.8%); psychotherapy clinical hours varied (0-720).

Conclusions:

• PMHNP programs show variation in ensuring psychotherapy competency.
• Increased emphasis on psychotherapy and competency checklists for simulation are needed.
• Further research should focus on effective delivery methods for skill retention in practice.