Helping skills training for undergraduates: Outcomes and prediction of outcomes.

The authors examined outcomes and predictors of outcomes for 85 undergraduates in 3 helping skills classes. After training, trainees used more exploration skills in helping sessions with classmates (as assessed by perceptions of helpees and helpers/trainees as well as behavioral counts of skills), were perceived by helpees as more empathic, talked less in sessions, conducted better sessions (from helpee and helper/trainee perspectives), and reported higher self-efficacy for using helping skills. In addition, trainees' confidence increased while learning exploration skills, dropped while learning insight skills, and then increased again while learning action skills. The authors were not able to predict outcome from the variables used (grade-point average, empathic concern and perspective taking, perfectionism). Suggestions for training and future research on training are included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training Psychology Interns in Primary Behavioral Health Care.

This article describes a training program for primary behavioral health care (PBHC) for clinical psychology interns. The authors discuss the rationale for integrating mental health into primary care and the need for additional training programs at the predoctoral internship level. A review of relevant literature suggests that effective functioning in primary care requires competence in (a) generalist psychology, (b) health psychology, (c) interdisciplinary team functioning, and (d) skills specific to primary care. The authors advocate for a relatively intensive training program to address these areas. Common intern training difficulties observed during 3 years of program implementation are discussed. Practical, lessons-learned recommendations that address these problem areas provide guidance for others seeking to develop a PBHC training program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential attitude change in nonprofessional experience: An experimental comparison.

Manipulated 3 components of training and supervision of undergraduate nonprofessionals working with youthful offenders: specific intervention skills vs natural helping styles, frequency of training/supervision meetings, and size of training/supervision groups. Effects of varying these components were then observed on the nonprofessionals' attitudes toward themselves, the target population, and other relevant areas. 134 undergraduates served as Ss, 49 of whom were controls. Ss using their natural helping styles of intervention were significantly more disillusioned about themselves and the juvenile justice system across time; those receiving training in specific intervention skills felt more positive. Comparisons of these results with those found in other nonprofessional programs, as well as implications for professionals in helping careers, are discussed. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Search for Identity.

Discusses steps to developing a successful graduate training program. These steps include defining a psychologist's capabilities, defining professional objectives to provide a framework for the training, determining what specific training methods would help reach these objectives, and conducting a follow-up with graduates to determine their professional achievements. The author then highlights a number of objectives he feels are appropriate for graduate training programs. These include the training of the student in the proper understanding and application of the scientific method, ensuring that the psychologist can relate psychological principles and concepts to a broad range of behavior, helping the student develop the requisite skills for conducting either a theoretical, experimental, or applied analysis, and ensuring that the student understands principles of measurement, is informed about other disciplines, and can recognize in a set of results the implications for future investigations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Becoming psychotherapists: Experiences of novice trainees in a beginning graduate class.

The authors investigated the experiences related to becoming psychotherapists for 5 counseling psychology doctoral trainees in their first prepracticum course. Qualitative analyses of weekly journals indicated that trainees discussed challenges related to becoming psychotherapists (e.g., being self-critical, having troubling reactions to clients, learning to use helping skills), gains made during the semester related to becoming psychotherapists (e.g., using helping skills more effectively, becoming less self-critical, being able to connect with clients), as well as experiences in supervision and activities that helped them cope with their anxieties. Results are discussed in 5 broad areas: feelings about self in role of psychotherapist, awareness of reactions to clients, learning and using helping skills, reactions to supervision, and experiences that fostered growth. Implications for training and research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training novice psychotherapists: Helping skills and beyond.

We provide a rationale for doing helping skills training with novice psychotherapists, present a basic framework for our ideas, outline the major components of training, and then talk about what comes after helping skills training. We provide hypotheses that can be tested to determine the effectiveness of helping skills training for novice psychotherapists and encourage researchers to do more research in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing Resilience in Children: A Proactive Approach.

Many clinical practitioners today are interested in helping children be more resilient. The authors briefly review the literature and identify protective factors that are related to or foster resilience in children. After discussing individual and family intervention strategies currently in use, the authors present a practical, proactive, resilience-based model that clinicians may use in a group intervention setting. The model entails interactive identification of protective factors with children, free play and behavioral rehearsal, training in relaxation and self-control techniques, practice in generalizing skills acquired, and active parent involvement. Implications of this group intervention model are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of training in organizations: A meta-analysis of design and evaluation features.

The authors used meta-analytic procedures to examine the relationship between specified training design and evaluation features and the effectiveness of training in organizations. Results of the meta-analysis revealed training effectiveness sample-weighted mean ds of 0.60 (k = 15, N = 936) for reaction criteria, 0.63 (k = 234, N = 15,014) for learning criteria, 0.62 (k = 122, N = 15,627) for behavioral criteria, and 0.62 (k = 26, N = 1,748) for results criteria. These results suggest a medium to large effect size for organizational training. In addition, the training method used, the skill or task characteristic trained, and the choice of evaluation criteria were related to the effectiveness of training programs. Limitations of the study along with suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the contribution of supervisors to intervention outcomes.

Supervision has been identified as perhaps the most important mechanism for developing competencies in therapists in training. However, there is scant research on the effect of supervisors on client outcome. Moreover, in a relatively recent review of the existing literature, significant methodological concerns were raised that attenuate the interpretability of the existing reported findings. The current study therefore sought to address such methodological concerns. Crosstabulation of supervisors by client outcome categories (i.e., recovered, reliably improved, no reliable change, deteriorated) indicated that supervisors are significantly related to client outcome, generating a moderate effect. Training programs are therefore encouraged to routinely track client outcomes as an objective indicator of quality supervision. Additional implications for training programs and suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning styles as predictors of self-efficacy and interest in research: Implications for graduate research training.

The literature on research training in professional psychology has yet to address the role of student learning styles on training outcomes. A mail survey of graduate students (N = 132) in professional areas of psychology from 11 universities assessed four dimensions of learning styles, research interest, and research self-efficacy. Students with more active (vs. reflective) and more intuitive (vs. sensing) learning styles reported greater research self-efficacy, and students with more intuitive (vs. sensing) and more verbal (vs. visual) learning styles reported greater research interest. The authors discuss implications for improving graduate research training by encouraging student self-assessment and by providing instruction using balanced pedagogies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk propensity differences between entrepreneurs and managers: A meta-analytic review.

Research examining the relative risk-taking propensities of entrepreneurs and managers has produced conflicting findings and no consensus, posing an impediment to theory development. To overcome the limitations of narrative reviews, the authors used psychometric meta-analysis to mathematically cumulate the literature concerning risk propensity differences between entrepreneurs and managers. Results indicate that the risk propensity of entrepreneurs is greater than that of managers. Moreover, there are larger differences between entrepreneurs whose primary goal is venture growth versus those whose focus is on producing family income. Results also underscore the importance of precise construct definitions and rigorous measurement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The graduate research training environment in professional psychology: A multilevel investigation.

Very little program-level research on psychology graduate research training environments (RTEs) exists despite the RTE being a program-level (vs. student-level) construct. In the current study, the authors investigated correlates of programs' RTEs, including characteristics of the students, the faculty, and the programs themselves. Proportional stratified sampling of American Psychological Association-accredited PhD programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology yielded data from 40 programs. Students and faculty in those programs completed Internet questionnaires, and additional faculty and program characteristics were coded. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed that programs with positive student-rated RTEs had faculty who also viewed the RTE as positive and had satisfying faculty–student relations. These programs also had students with higher levels of research interest and stronger advisory alliances, yet within-program student differences in the RTE explained more variance in these student characteristics than did between-programs differences. This research supports the value of examining the RTE at both the student and program levels, and it suggests that training interventions ought to occur at both levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Meta-Analytic Review of Behavior Modeling Training.

A meta-analysis of 117 studies evaluated the effects of behavior modeling training (BMT) on 6 training outcomes, across characteristics of training design. BMT effects were largest for learning outcomes, smaller for job behavior, and smaller still for results outcomes. Although BMT effects on declarative knowledge decayed over time, training effects on skills and job behavior remained stable or even increased. Skill development was greatest when learning points were used and presented as rule codes and when training time was longest. Transfer was greatest when mixed (negative and positive) models were presented, when practice included trainee-generated scenarios, when trainees were instructed to set goals, when trainees' superiors were also trained, and when rewards and sanctions were instituted in trainees' work environments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A training curriculum for professional psychologists in primary care.

Primary care psychology is a growing field that requires specific training opportunities for successful practice. The knowledge and skills that practitioners need for work in this setting are outlined here in detail. This curriculum integrates literature and experience in family psychology, health psychology, and pediatric psychology; considers multiple levels of education and training; and provides illustrative examples. It is a first attempt in an evolving process of integrating historical and cutting edge literature from many areas of psychology and other disciplines to contribute to comprehensive primary care psychology training. It can be used by programs and individual practitioners alike in designing education and training experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does anticipation training affect drivers' risk taking?

Skill and risk taking are argued to be independent and to require different remedial programs. However, it is possible to contend that skill-based training could be associated with an increase, a decrease, or no change in risk-taking behavior. In 3 experiments, the authors examined the influence of a skill-based training program (hazard perception) on the risk-taking behavior of car drivers (using video-based driving simulations). Experiment 1 demonstrated a decrease in risk taking for novice drivers. In Experiment 2, the authors examined the possibilities that the skills training might operate through either a nonspecific reduction in risk taking or a specific improvement in hazard perception. Evidence supported the latter. These findings were replicated in a more ecological context in Experiment 3, which compared advanced and nonadvanced police drivers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Stress inoculation training.

Reviews the book Stress Inoculation Training (1985) by D. Meichenbaum. This relatively brief book provides a worthwhile and practical overview of stress inoculation training (SIT). The book is organized into seven chapters. In the first chapter, the conceptual basis of stress inoculation is presented and the transactional nature of stress is described. Chapter 2 presents clinical guidelines for stress management programs. Meichenbaum contends that mental health professionals often intervene without an adequate understanding of the client's problem and the process of change. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the SIT process. This includes three phases: (a) conceptualization, (b) skills acquisition and rehearsal, (c) application and follow-through. A summary of populations with which SIT has been used is also presented. Chapter 4 details the conceptualization phase of SIT. This phase focuses on establishing a collaborative relationship with the client, determining the nature of the client's problem, and helping the client to understand the nature and effects of stress. Chapter 5 focuses on the skill acquisition and rehearsal phase of SIT. The coping skills that are trained during this phase should appear to be a natural outgrowth of the reconceptualization process. Chapter 6 describes the application and follow-through phase of SIT. The goal of this phase is to help clients implement coping responses outside of the training sessions. In the last chapter, applications of SIT to varied populations are described and discussed. This book does not contain an in-depth critical review of SIT research. However, this book does provide an excellent overview of clinical, practical issues, and guidelines related to SIT training. It contains a variety of implementation tactics not found in other publications on SIT. In general, the book sets forth an excellent state-of-the-art presentation of SIT implementation issues and guidelines for use of SIT in professional practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internship Training: Do Models Really Matter?

During the past 50 years, a number of models of training (scientist-practitioner, practitioner-scholar, clinical scientist) have been developed. This study examined how these models are conceptualized and implemented at internship and postdoctoral training programs. Surveying 248 internship programs (42% response rate), the authors found that the model name (i.e., scientist-practitioner) was not related to how programs were conceptualized or how their training was implemented, raising questions about accreditation requirements. Implications for training sites and the American Psychological Association Committee on Accreditation are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predoctoral training models in professional geropsychology.

Although small in number, current predoctoral programs in professional geropsychology offer models and training strategies that can guide future program development. Training opportunities exist within generalist programs as well as in geropsychology tracks within broader programs. This article explores the variety of ways by which predoctoral programs can facilitate development of foundational attitudes, knowledge, and skills that comprise the competencies in geropsychology. New programs can benefit from the guidance and ideas offered about how to accomplish professional geropsychology training within a variety of structures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of manual-based training on treatment fidelity and outcome: A review of the literature on adult individual psychotherapy.

The authors examine training issues related to the use of treatment manuals in psychotherapy outcome research. In particular, they examine methodological considerations such as the operationalization of manual-based training, trainer effects, therapist variables that mediate training, issues related to experimental design, and the choice and definition of appropriate dependent variables. The research literature indicates that manual-based training can produce technical adherence. Improvements in treatment competence were seen within, as opposed to across, cases. Researchers have been unable to draw strong links between treatment fidelity and patient outcomes. The review concludes that the limited focus on training studies in the manual-based treatment field compromises conclusions drawn from psychotherapy outcome research that relies on manuals to ensure a uniform delivery of the experimental variable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)