Training in acceptance and commitment therapy fosters self-care in clinical psychology trainees

Background

Despite the need for training in self-care for clinical psychology trainees (CPTs), research is limited, with little progress in the evaluation of effective approaches for teaching self-care. This study investigated the effects on self-care in CPTs of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) university course with an explicit focus on self-care skills in addition to ACT competencies.

Methods

Fifty-seven CPTs completed a questionnaire to evaluate the self-care course components (2011 to 2013), and a subsample of 22 CPTs completed measures of self-care self-efficacy, and the importance of self-care training at the beginning and end of the course.

Results

All CPTs found the course helpful in fostering self-care, and 73.7% reported one or more behavioural self-care changes. Most frequently reported self-care changes and helpful course components were related to the six ACT therapeutic processes. Pairwise t-tests showed that self-care self-efficacy significantly increased from the beginning to the end of the course and that student views on the importance of self-care training remained stable over the course duration.

Conclusions

Findings support the interweaving of training in psychotherapy competencies and self-care skills via a self-as-laboratory approach within an ACT framework.