Teaching brief psychotherapy for spouses of cancer patients: us of a codable supervision format.

Abstract

While there has been increasing recognition of the psychosocial needs of cancer patients, the plight of the patient's spouse has been less well addressed. As part of an ongoing study in this area, we have developed a counseling manual which defines the parameters of a therapy intervention for cancer patients' spouses with problematic adjustment. In order to monitor the consistency of the therapy, we have also developed a codable supervision rating sheet, which is the topic of this report. All therapist communications are rated on a three-dimensional format which specifies general content area, level of intervention, and the presence of a focus specific to the therapy. This codable rating sheet is used in a group supervision process. It provides an innovative method to teach and supervise therapy, helps delineate specific elements of therapy judged to be important, and also has implications for psychotherapy research which extend beyond this specific project.