Development and preliminary validation of the Group Cognitive Therapy Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Therapeutic Interventions

Background:

• Group cognitive behavioral therapy (G-CBT) is a widely used therapeutic approach.
• Assessing therapist competency is crucial for effective G-CBT delivery and training.
• Existing scales primarily focus on individual therapy, necessitating a specialized tool for group settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a rating scale for assessing therapist competency in G-CBT.
• To create a tool that can aid in the training and skill development of G-CBT therapists.

Main Methods:

• A three-step process involving literature review, expert consensus, and skill articulation based on the Cognitive Therapy Scale.
• Development of behavioral anchors and difficulty levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) for each skill.
• Examination of inter-rater reliability and validity using 41 videotaped G-CBT sessions.

Main Results:

• The 12-item Group Cognitive Therapy Scale (G-CTS) was successfully developed.
• The G-CTS includes 11 items adapted from the Cognitive Therapy Scale and one new item addressing group dynamics.
• The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α: 0.95), satisfactory inter-rater reliability (ICC: 0.65-0.88), and high predictive validity.

Conclusions:

• A novel and validated rating scale, the G-CTS, for evaluating therapist competency in G-CBT has been established.
• The G-CTS provides a practical behavioral checklist to guide therapists in improving their G-CBT skills.
• This scale serves as a valuable resource for training and quality assurance in G-CBT.