Perceived professional development of Chinese psychotherapy trainees: a pilot study

Submitted: August 22, 2021
Accepted: July 11, 2022
Published: August 1, 2022
Abstract Views: 1520
PDF: 637
HTML: 140
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

For more than 30 years counselling and psychotherapy services in China have progressed rapidly. Currently, various Chinese universities, hospitals, official mental health centres, and private mental health service organizations provide psychotherapy training programs. However, little is known about Chinese psychotherapy trainees and their development. This pilot study investigated the characteristics and perceived professional development of 20 Chinese trainees during and after an advanced training program for psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy, which is a collaboration project between Peking Union Medical College Hospital and the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy from the University Medical Center Freiburg in Germany. Trainees completed questionnaires from the SPRISTAD (Society for Psychotherapy Research Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development) study at the beginning (T1), at the end (T2), and one year after finishing the program (T3). Seventeen of the twenty participants were clinicians. Trainees reported a prominent rise of Currently Experienced Growth throughout the training period, which nearly dropped to the baseline level after the training, although Retrospective Career Development showed a trend of an overall increase. Both ‘experience in therapy with patients’ and ‘participation in courses or seminars’ were the most important positively perceived sources of influence on trainees’ development. This implies the importance of continuous psychotherapy training for the development of therapists during their career. Future research with a larger sample size should also assess trainees’ development from the viewpoint of trainers, supervisors, and patients.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Barnett, M. (2007). What brings you here? An exploration of the unconscious motivations of those who choose to train and work as psychotherapists and counsellors. Psychodynamic Practice, 13, 257-274. doi:10.1080/14753630701455796. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14753630701455796
Carlsson, J. (2012). Research on psychotherapists’ professional development during and after training, Nordic Psychology, 64, 150-167. doi:10.1080/19012276.2012.731310. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19012276.2012.731310
Clay, R. A. (2019, October 1). Psychotherapy in China. Monitor on Psychology, 50(9). Available from: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/10/psychotherapy-china
Chen, R. Y., Qian, M. Y., Zhang, L. L., & Zhang, Z. F. (2010). An investigation of counsellors/psychotherapists’ working characters in different types of organizations in China. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology,18, 667-674.
De Bei, F., Rocco, D., & Salcuni, S. (2019). Introduction to the Special Section on ‘The Role of Psychotherapy Research in Psychotherapy Training: Mutual Influences and Relations’. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 22(3). doi:10.4081/ripppo.2019.438. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2019.438
Evers, O., Schröder-Pfeifer, P., Möller, H., & Taubner, S. (2019). How do personal and professional characteristics influence the development of psychotherapists in training: Results from a longitudinal study. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 22(3), 389-401. doi:10.4081/ripppo.2019.424. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2019.424
Fritzsche, K., Scheib, P., Ko, N., Wirsching, M., Kuhnert, A., Hick, J., Schüßler, G., Wu, W., Yuan, S., Cat, N. H., Vongphrachanh, S., Linh, N. T., Viet, N. K., & ASIA-LINK Workgroup. (2012). Results of a psychosomatic training program in China, Vietnam and Laos: successful cross-cultural transfer of a postgraduate training program for medical doctors. BioPsychoSocial medicine, 6(17). doi:10.1186/1751-0759-6-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0759-6-17
Heinonen, E., & Orlinsky, D. E. (2013). Psychotherapists’ personal identities, theoretical orientations, and professional relationships: elective affinity and role adjustment as modes of congruence. Psychotherapy Research, 23(6), 718-731. doi:10.1080/10503307.2013.814926. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2013.814926
Hambleton, R. K., Merenda, P. F., & Spielberger, C. D. (2005). Adapting Educational and Psychological Tests for Cross-Cultural Assessment. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410611758
Hill, C. E., Lystrup, A., Kline, K., Gebru, N. M., Birchler, J., Palmer, G., Robinson, J., Um, M., Griffin, S., Lipsky, E., Knox, S. & Pinto-Coelho, K. (2013). Aspiring to become a therapist: Personal strengths and challenges, influences, motivations, and expectations of future psychotherapists. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 26(3-4), 267-293. doi:10.1080/09515070.2013.825763. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2013.825763
Li, M. G., Duan, C., Ding, B. K., Yue, D. M., & Beitman, B. D. (1994). Psychotherapy integration in modern China. The Journal of psychotherapy practice and research, 3(4), 277-283.
Lin, X., Jiang, G., & Duan, C. (2016). Necessity and urgency of increasing graduate training in Chinese clinical and counseling psychology: Wuhan declaration. Psychotherapy Bulletin, 51(4), 26-29.
Lorentzen, S., Rønnestad, M. H., & Orlinsky, D.E. (2011). Sources of influence on the professional development of psychologists and psychiatrists in Norway and Germany. European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling, 13(2), 141-152. doi:10.1080/13642537.2011.570016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13642537.2011.570016
Löffler-Stastka, H., Gelo, O., Pleschberger, I., Hartmann, A., Orlinsky, D. E., Rønnestad, M. H., & Willutzki, U. (2019). Psychotherapie-Berufsausbildung in Österreich: Basis- und soziodemographische Hintergrunddaten aus einer SPRISTAD-Pilotstudie (Society of Psychotherapy Research Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development). Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, 65(4), 341-352. doi:10.13109/zptm.2019.65.4.341. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13109/zptm.2019.65.4.341
Messina, I., Gelo, O., Sambin, M., Bianco, F., Mosconi, A., Fenelli, A., Curto, M., Gullo, S., & Orlinsky, D. (2018a). Trainees’ self-evaluation of their development as psychotherapists: An Italian contribution to an international collaborative study on psychotherapy training. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 25(2), 338-347. doi:10.1002/cpp.2165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2165
Messina, I., Gelo, O.C., Gullo, S., Sambin, M., Mosconi, A., Fenelli, A., Curto, M., & Orlinsky, D. (2018b). Personal background, motivation and interpersonal style of psychotherapy trainees having different theoretical orientations: An Italian contribution to an international collaborative study on psychotherapy training. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 18(3), 299-307. doi:10.1002/capr.12176. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12176
Messina, I., Gullo, S., Gelo, O. C. G., Giordano, C. & Salcuni, S. (2019). An overview of the Italian contribution to the international multisite SPRISTAD study on psychotherapy training. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 22(3), 379-388. doi:10.4081/ripppo.2019.418. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2019.418
Nissen-Lie, H., Monsen, J., & Rønnestad, M. (2010). Therapist predictors of early patient-rated working alliance: A multilevel approach. Psychotherapy Research, 20(6), 627-646. doi:10.1080/10503307.2010.497633. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2010.497633
Orlinsky, D., Ambühl, H., Rønnestad, M. H., Davis, J., Gerin, P., Davis, M., Willutzki, U., Botermans, J.-F., Dazord, A., Cierpka, M., Aapro, N., Buchheim, P., Bae, S., Davidson, C., Friis-Jorgensen, E., Joo, E., Kalmykova, E., Meyerberg, J., Northcut, T., & SPR Collaborative Research Network. (1999). Development of psychotherapists: Concepts, questions, and methods of a collaborative international study. Psychotherapy Research, 9(2), 127-153. doi:10.1093/ptr/9.2.127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ptr/9.2.127
Orlinsky, D. E., Botermans, J. F., & Rønnestad, M. H. (2001). Towards an empirically grounded model of psychotherapy training: Four thousand therapists rate influences on their development. Australian Psychologist, 36(2), 139-148. doi:10.1080/00050060108259646. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00050060108259646
Orlinsky, D. E., & Rønnestad, M. H. (2005). How psychotherapists develop: A study of therapeutic work and professional development. American Psychological Association. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/11157-000
Orlinsky, D. E., Norcross, J. C., Rønnestad, M. H., & Wiseman, H. (2005). Outcomes and impacts of the psychotherapists’ own psychotherapy: A research review. In J. D. Geller, J. C. Norcross, & D. E. Orlinsky (Eds.), The Psychotherapist’s Own Psychotherapy: Patient and Clinician Perspectives (pp 214-230). Oxford: Oxford University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780195133943.003.0017
Orlinsky, D. E., Schofield, M. J., Schroder, T., & Kazantzis, N. (2011). Utilization of personal therapy by psychotherapists: a practice-friendly review and a new study. Journal of clinical psychology, 67(8), 828-842. doi:10.1002/jclp.20821. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20821
Orlinsky, D.E., Strauss, B., Rønnestad, M. H., Hill, C., Castonguay, L., Willutzki, U., Hartmann, A., Taubner, S., & Carlsson, J. (2015). A collaborative study of development in psychotherapy trainees. Psychotherapy Bulletin, 50, 21-25.
Qian, M. Y., Chen, R. Y., Zhang, L. L., & Zhang, Z. F. (2010). A prediction for requirement of counsellors/psychotherapists in China. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 24, 942-947.
Qian, M., Chen, R., Chen, H., Hu, S., Zhong, J., Yao, P., & Yi, C. (2012). Counselling and psychotherapy services in more developed and developing regions in China: a comparative investigation of practitioners and current service delivery. The International journal of social psychiatry, 58(5), 536-543. doi:10.1177/0020764011413669. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764011413669
Rocco, D., Gennaro, A., Filugelli, L., Squarcina, P., & Antonelli, E. (2019). Key factors in psychotherapy training: An analysis of trainers’, trainees’ and psychotherapists’ points of view. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 22(3), 369-378. doi:10.4081/ripppo.2019.415. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2019.415
Rønnestad, M. H., & Skovholt, T. M. (2003). The journey of the counselor and therapist: Research findings and perspectives on professional development. Journal of Career Development, 30, 5-44. doi:10.1023/A:1025173508081. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/089484530303000102
Rønnestad, M. H., & Ladany, N. (2006). The impact of psychotherapy training: introduction to the special section. Psychotherapy Research, 16(3), 261-267. doi:10.1080/10503300600612241. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10503300600612241
Rønnestad, M. H., Orlinsky, D. E., Schröder, T. A., Skovholt, T. M., & Willutzki, U. (2019). The professional development of counsellors and psychotherapists: Implications of empirical studies for supervision, training and practice. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 19(3), 214-230. doi:10.1002/capr.12198. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12198
Shao, Y., Wang, J., & Xie, B. (2015). The first mental health law of China. Asian journal of psychiatry, 13, 72-74. doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2014.11.002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2014.11.002
Taubner, S., Kächele, H., Visbeck, H., Rapp, A., & Sandell, R. (2010). Therapeutic attitudes and practice patterns among psychotherapy trainees in Germany. European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling, 12(4), 361-381. doi:10.1080/13642537.2010.530085. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13642537.2010.530085
Zeeck, A., Orlinsky, D. E., Hermann, S., Joos, A., Wirsching, M., Weidmann, W., & Hartmann, A. (2012). Stressful involvement in psychotherapeutic work: Therapist, client and process correlates. Psychotherapy Research, 22(5), 543-555. doi:10.1080/10503307.2012.683345. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2012.683345

How to Cite

Zhang, Y., Shi, L., Wei, J., Hartmann , A. ., Leonhart, R. ., Bassler, M. ., & Fritzsche, K. (2022). Perceived professional development of Chinese psychotherapy trainees: a pilot study. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 25(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2022.580

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.