Sustained and sustaining continuing education for therapists.

Thirty-eight therapists who completed a 2-year continuing education program evaluated the effect of that program on how they conducted therapy and on themselves as individuals. The program differed from most continuing education offerings both in its ongoing nature and its emphasis on an interactive and dynamic use of material rather than on a purely didactic presentation. Participants described changes that they felt improved the quality of the therapeutic alliance, increased their ability to work effectively with difficult patients, and increased their self-awareness. This evaluation of the experience of a mature (over 10 years in operation) program is significant at a point when American Psychological Association (APA) is considering a broader conceptualization of continuing education models. These results also illustrate the importance of thoroughly evaluating the effect of continuing education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)