Lost in Transition: Examining Transitions in Psychotherapy Training.

Abstract

Disruptions are inevitable during psychiatry residency training and can affect resident learning and patient care. This exploratory study examined the nature and impact of transitions in psychotherapy training. PGY2-5 residents (45/150; 30% response rate) and psychotherapy supervisors (46/247; 18.6% response rate) were surveyed about transitional events during residency training in psychotherapy. Supervisors and residents ranked the frequency of occurrence of transitional events and their impact very similarly, as well as the "feed forward" items when transitioning to a new supervisor. Residents feeling confused or overwhelmed with the balancing of learning differing models with differing levels of comfort or knowledge was ranked as the issue that occurred most frequently by both supervisors and residents. This study highlights issues that arise at transitions during psychotherapy training in psychiatry residency. Strategies for managing these periods are discussed, with a focus on resident learning and improved continuity of patient care.