Therapeutic orientation preferences in trainee clinical psychologists: Personality or training?

Abstract

This study investigated the relative influence of person and training factors on preference for three common therapeutic orientations—cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, and systemic therapy—in 142 U.K. trainee clinical psychologists. Consistent with previous research, preferences for therapeutic orientation were related to personality, philosophical worldview, the theoretical emphasis of training courses, and the orientation of supervisors. Preference for psychodynamic therapy was influenced more by training factors and preference for CBT more by person factors, with the influence of both sets of factors being approximately equal for systemic therapy. Supervision was more influential than the theoretical emphasis of training courses in predicting preferences for psychodynamic and systemic therapies, with the converse pattern found for CBT.