Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T01:59:38.854Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Does a therapist's reflective ability predict the accuracy of their self-evaluation of competence in cognitive behavioural therapy?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2016

Maria E. Loades  and
Pamela J. Myles
Maria E. Loades*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
Pamela J. Myles
Affiliation:
Charlie Waller Institute, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
*
*Author for correspondence: Dr M. E. Loades, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK (email: M.E.Loades@bath.ac.uk).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Accurately evaluating how competently one is performing can be a precursor to seeking training and supervision, therefore contributing to safe, effective practice. Little is known about what predicts accurate self-evaluation. Prior research findings are inconsistent, with overestimation of self-rated competence in some studies and underestimation in others. We aimed to explore the relationship between therapists' reflective ability and the level of agreement between self-rated competence and competence rated by an experienced CBT assessor. Thirteen trainees undertaking a postgraduate CBT diploma submitted a series of recordings accompanied by self-ratings using the Cognitive Therapy Scale – Revised (CTS-R) and related written reflective analyses. Independent assessors marked the written analyses using a standardized marking scheme and rated the therapy sessions using the CTS-R. Trainees tended to overestimate or underestimate their competence in comparison to the independent assessors. The level of agreement between the assessors' ratings and self-evaluation of competence tended to improve during training, while reflective ability did not. Reflective ability was significantly related to level of agreement between self-rated and assessor-rated competence. Trainees do not consistently demonstrate the bias for overestimating their competence previously found in qualified therapists. During training, the tendency of an individual to over- or underestimate their competence may not remain stable, but tends to become more consistent with ratings undertaken by an experienced CBT assessor. Trainees who were rated as more reflective, tended to agree more closely with independent assessors on evaluation of competence. Therefore, enhancing reflective ability may help therapists to more accurately self-evaluate their competence.

Keywords

CBTcognitive therapy trainingpsychotherapy trainingreflective abilitytherapist competence
Type
Education and supervision
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 9 , 2016 , e6
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Recommended follow-up reading

Levy, J, Thwaites, R, Chaddock, A, Davis, ML (2009). Reflective practice in cognitive behavioural therapy: The engine of lifelong learning. In: Reflection in Counselling and Psychotherapy (ed. Stedmon, J. & Dallos, R.), pp. 115–135. Maidenhead: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Schon, DA (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. London: Temple Smith.Google Scholar

References

Adams, L (2011). Learning a new skill is easier said than done (http://www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/learning-a-new-skill-is-easier-said-thandone/).Google Scholar
Bennett-Levy, J (2006). Therapist skills: a cognitive model of their acquisition and refinement. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 34, 57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett-Levy, J, McManus, F, Westling, BE, Fennell, M (2009 a). Acquiring and refining CBT skills and competencies: which training methods are perceived to be most effective? Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 37, 571–583.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bennett-Levy, J, Thwaites, R, Chaddock, A, Davis, ML (2009 b). Reflective practice in cognitive behavioural therapy: The engine of lifelong learning. In: Reflection in Counselling and Psychotherapy (ed. Stedmon, J. & Dallos, R.), pp. 115–135. Maidenhead: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Bennett-Levy, J, Turner, F, Beaty, T, Smith, M, Paterson, B, Farmer, S (2001). The value of self-practice of cognitive therapy techniques and self-reflection in the training of cognitive therapists. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 29, 203–220.Google Scholar
Blackburn, IM, James, IA, Milne, DL, Reichelt, FK (2001). The Revised Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTSR): psychometric properties. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 29, 431–447.Google Scholar
Boekaerts, M (1991). Subjective competence, appraisals and self-assessment. Learning and Instruction 1, 1–17.Google Scholar
Brosan, L, Reynolds, S, Moore, RG (2006). Factors associated with competence in cognitive therapists. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 35, 179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brosan, L, Reynolds, S, Moore, RG (2008). Self-evaluation of cognitive therapy performance: do therapists know how competent they are? Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 36, 581.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Driessen, E, van Tartwijk, J, Dornan, T (2008). The self critical doctor: helping students become more reflective. British Medical Journal 336, 827–830.Google Scholar
Dunning, D, Heath, C, Suls, JM (2004). Flawed self-assessment: implications for health, education and the workplace. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 5, 69–106 Google Scholar
Farrell, T (2001). Critical friendships: colleagues helping each other develop. ELT Journal 55, 368–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gordon, PK (2006). A comparison of two versions of the Cognitive Therapy Scale. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 35, 343.Google Scholar
James, IA, Blackburn, IM, Milne, DL, Reichfelt, FK (2001). Moderators of trainee therapists' competence in cognitive therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 40, 131–141.Google Scholar
Keen, AJ, Freeston, MH (2008). Assessing competence in cognitive-behavioural therapy. British Journal of Psychiatry 193, 60–64.Google Scholar
Knight, K, Sperlinger, D, Maltby, M (2010). Exploring the personal and professional impact of reflective practice groups: a survey of 18 cohorts from a UK clinical psychology training course. Clinical Psychology &; Psychotherapy 17, 427–437.Google Scholar
Kolb, DA (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. New York: Prentice-Hall Englewood Cliffs.Google Scholar
Kraus, DR, Castonguay, L, Boswell, JF, Nordberg, SS, Hayes, JA (2011). Therapist effectiveness: implications for accountability and patient care. Psychotherapy Research 21, 267–276.Google Scholar
Laitila, A, Oranen, M (2013). Focused dialogues in training contexts: a model for enhancing reflection in therapist's professional practice. Contemporary Family Therapy 35, 599–612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mathieson, FM, Barnfield, T, Beaumont, G (2008). Are we as good as we think we are? Self-assessment versus other forms of assessment of competence in psychotherapy. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist 2, 43.Google Scholar
McManus, F, Rakovshik, S, Kennerley, H, Fennell, M, Westbrook, D (2012). An investigation of the accuracy of therapists' self-assessment of cognitive-behaviour therapy skills. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 51, 292–306.Google Scholar
McManus, F, Westbrook, D, Vazquez-Montes, M, Fennell, M, Kennerley, H (2010). An evaluation of the effectiveness of diploma-level training in cognitive behaviour therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy 48, 1123–1132.Google Scholar
Milne, D, Claydon, T, Blackburn, I-M, James, IA (2001). Rationale for a new measure of competence in therapy. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 29, 21–33.Google Scholar
Muse, K, McManus, F (2013). A systematic review of methods for assessing competence in cognitive-behavioural therapy. Clinical Psychology Review 33, 484–499.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reichelt, FK, James, IA, Blackburn, IM (2003). Impact of training on rating competence in cognitive therapy. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 34, 87–99.Google Scholar
Reiser, RP, Milne, D (2011). Supervising cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy: pressing needs, impressing possibilities. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy 42, 161–171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schon, DA (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. London: Temple Smith.Google Scholar
Simons, AD, Rozek, DC, Serrano, JL (2013). Wanted: reliable and valid measures for the science of cognitive behavioral therapy dissemination and implementation. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 20, 181–194.Google Scholar
Walfish, S, McAlister, B, O'Donnell, P, Lambert, MJ (2012). An investigation of self-assessment bias in mental health providers. Psychological Reports 110, 639–644.Google Scholar
Young, J, Beck, AT (1980). Cognitive Therapy Scale: Rating Manual. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Levy, J, Thwaites, R, Chaddock, A, Davis, ML (2009). Reflective practice in cognitive behavioural therapy: The engine of lifelong learning. In: Reflection in Counselling and Psychotherapy (ed. Stedmon, J. & Dallos, R.), pp. 115–135. Maidenhead: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Schon, DA (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. London: Temple Smith.Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.