Key strategies training for individual psychotherapy: An introduction to multitheoretical practice.

Abstract

Key StrategiesTraining for Individual Psychotherapy (KST-IP) is an integrative method for teaching beginning psychotherapists to utilize a multitheoretical approach to treatment. After trainees have learned basic microskills supporting the therapeutic relationship and other common factors, 3 sets of intervention strategies are introduced. Trainees learn practical strategies drawn from cognitive, emotion-focused, and behavioral therapies and are taught to focus on either thoughts, feelings, or actions based on the individual preference of each client. For each of 3 foundational theories, 8 key strategies are divided into exploration and transformation phases. During the exploration phase, psychotherapists are encouraged to (a) focus on 1 dimension (thoughts, feelings, or actions), (b) understand context and function, (c) analyze adaptive value, and (d) discover patterns outside of awareness. During the transformation phase of treatment, psychotherapists can encourage clients to (e) experiment, (f) modify, and (g) generalize new patterns of thinking, feeling, or acting. This phase concludes with (h) assessment of change and impact on other dimensions.

Descriptions and Reflections on the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model of Psychotherapy Training & Supervision

“…It is generally agreed that psychotherapy training is best offered in multi-component training packages (Harris et al 2014;Herschell et al 2010). A common core triad for psychotherapy training, used with some variations, has its origins in psychoanalytic training (Watkins 2010;Watkins and Callahan 2019).…”

“…Cognitive apprenticeship supervision can be utilized as a primary method for supervising a wide array of different psychotherapy modalities (Harris et al 2014). These live supervised treatments are typically brief and focused, lasting 5-20 sessions, yet can be extended, based on the needs and wishes of trainees and patient.…”

Testing the impact of Key Strategies Training for Individual Psychotherapy on understanding, confidence, and intention to use skills in practice.

“…Microskills training can be seen as a common factors method of training rather than teaching students to use intervention strategies drawn from specific evi-dence-based treatments. Harris, Kelley, Campbell, and Hammond (2014) recently described Key Strategies Training for Individual Psychotherapy (KST-IP) as a training method that builds on microskills training and introduces graduate students to intermediate skills from three evidenced-based treatments. This article describes the results of a preliminary study measuring the effectiveness of KST-IP as a training method for graduate-level psychotherapy trainees.…”

“…This article describes the results of a preliminary study measuring the effectiveness of KST-IP as a training method for graduate-level psychotherapy trainees. Harris et al (2014) described KST-IP as an introduction to multitheoretical psychotherapy (MTP; Brooks- Harris, 2008), an integrative approach that encourages psychotherapists to understand clients in a multidimensional manner and to use theories that match the areas of concern for each client. MTP and KST-IP both combine features of two different routes to psychotherapy integration: technical eclecticism and theoretical integration.…”

“…As an introduction to MTP, KST-IP focuses on the relationship between three foundational theories: cognitive, emotion-focused, and behavioral therapies (Brooks-Harris, 2008). Harris et al (2014) proposed KST-IP as an intermediate training method that should occur after graduate students have received training in basic helping skills using a book like Ivey et al's (2010) Intentional Interviewing and Counseling or Hill's (2014) Helping Skills. KST-IP is similar in some ways to Hill's approach but also has some important differences and is aimed at a more intermediate stage of training.…”