Experiential training of mental health graduate students in emotional processing skills: A randomized, controlled trial.

Abstract

Emotional processing interventions for trauma and psychological conflicts are underutilized. Lack of adequate training in emotional processing techniques and therapists' lack of confidence in utilizing such interventions are barriers to implementation. We developed and tested an experiential training to improve trainees' performance in a set of transtheoretical emotional processing skills: eliciting patient disclosure of difficult experiences, responding to defenses against disclosure, and eliciting adaptive emotions. Mental health trainees (N = 102) were randomized to experiential or standard training, both of which presented a 1-hr individual session administered remotely. Before and after training and at 5-week follow-up, trainees were videorecorded as they responded to videos of challenging therapy situations, and responses were coded for demonstrated skill. Trainees also completed measures of therapeutic self-efficacy, anxiety, and depression at baseline and follow-up. Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated all three skills increased from pre- to posttraining for both conditions, which were maintained at follow-up. Importantly, experiential training led to greater improvements than standard training in the skills of eliciting disclosure (η² = .05, p = .03), responding to defenses (η² = .04, p = .05), and encouraging adaptive emotions (η² = .23, p < .001) at posttraining, and the training benefits for eliciting disclosure were maintained at follow-up. Both conditions led to improved self-efficacy. Trainees' anxiety decreased in the standard training, but not in the experiential. One session of experiential training improved trainees' emotional processing therapy skills more than didactic training, although more training and practice likely are needed to yield longer lasting skills. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).