Therapists' experiences of a brief case formulation and alliance focused pre‐treatment training session (CALL)

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveA general lack of supervision outcome studies and new advancements within therapist training methods inspired us to develop a randomised controlled trial, Case formulation and ALLiance (CALL), testing the efficacy of a brief pre‐treatment training session. CALL combines generic case formulation and alliance principles with the supervision of a specific client. This qualitative study acts as a preliminary to the randomised controlled trial and aims to explore psychologists' experiences of participating in CALL.MethodSemi‐structured interviews were conducted with seven psychologists in private practice, who participated in CALL between January and May 2020. The transcribed interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThe psychologists described CALL as a clinically useful and collegial experience but simultaneously conveyed a lack of recollection of the training session and doubts as to its enduring utilisation.ConclusionCALL has the potential to positively influence the process and outcome of therapy through the fostering of case formulation and alliance management skills, as well as a strong supervisory alliance. However, the familiar content or brief format of the session, and participants' memory bias, may have limited the utilisation and recall of the intervention.