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The Nordic Psychotherapy Training Study (NORTRAS) – The Development of Clinical Knowledge and Skills

A Nordic study of learning and guidance in psychotherapy. We study training at the psychology programme at the University of Oslo and participate in the international training study SPRISTAD at the Society for Psychotherapy Research.

Background and purpose

NORTRAS is a comparative, longitudinal study of psychologist education and therapies across several Nordic universities. The purpose of the project is to develop knowledge about conditions that are important for the training and practice of effective psychotherapy. The development of the concept of clinical competence is an overarching objective. The ambition is to obtain a nuanced picture of therapy training and psychotherapeutic work from start to finish, within different professional therapy traditions. Increased knowledge about training therapy will help improve the quality of learning programmes, which in turn will ensure professional quality and benefit clients. Psychologists have a broad scope, and optimization of psychology education will therefore have great societal significance.

Method

The research questions are answered using several quantitative and qualitative research methods. The data material consists of video recordings of therapy sessions and group supervision at the university clinics, as well as self-completion forms. New video technology at the university clinics makes it possible to perform systematic in-depth analyses of treatment pathways and associated supervision sessions. The combination of video data,

questionnaires and, with the possibility of interview data, enables analysis from multiple perspectives, including participants' experiences, thoughts, feelings and intentions, as well as their behaviour and relational style.

Collaboration with other research groups

As of today, data collection has begun at the University of Oslo. The steering group is working to expand the data collection to other universities in the Nordic region, initially at Stockholm University. More universities may participate at a later date. The NORTRAS study also collaborates with four other research groups:

· The Society for Psychotherapy Research Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development (SPRISTAD). This means that the SPRISTAD questionnaires are part of the NORTRAS study. The questionnaires deal with upbringing conditions and other previous backgrounds before the programme starts, in addition to views on and experiences and experiences in current training.

· The Study Becoming a Psychologist. If it is the case that participants in NORTRAS also participate in the study Becoming a Psychologist, the project management can ask these participants to obtain a copy of the collected data in the Becoming a Psychologist study. This assumes that the participants have already given permission to be requested in advance. Copying may only take place after the participant at the relevant time consents to such copying of data. If the NORTRAS study also has access to these data, it will be possible to analyse key features of a student's development process throughout the six-year professional education course. · The research group at the Kama Muta Lab at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, which specifically explores the meaning of the feeling "to be touched" (in Sanskrit "kama muta"). The questionnaire deals with whether this feeling is present in the therapy sessions.

· A smaller questionnaire study rooted in the San Francisco Psychotherapy Group. Only clients answer these questionnaires that deal with clients' negative reactions to therapist behavior.

Privacy

The study was approved by the Data Protection Officer at UiO. We treat the information confidentially and in accordance with the privacy regulations. Under "Participants" (in the right column of this website) you will find who are the project managers at any given time and who is part of the research group, i.e. researchers, data managers and research assistants. More information about data protection can be found in the consent form.

Who is responsible for the project?

The University of Oslo (UiO) at the Department of Psychology is the institution responsible for the project. The research director is Hanne Strømme, associate professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, and deputy head is Professor Hanne Weie Oddli, same place. The project is led by a steering group with researchers from several universities: Professor Stephan Hau (Stockholm University), Associate Professor Errki Heinonen (UiO) and Assistant Professor Jan Nielsen (University of Copenhagen).

Publications

Oddli, H. W., Heinonen, E., Hau, S., Nielsen, J., Esterhazy, R., Hoff, C. H., & Strømme, H. (2021). Learning Processes and Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills in Training and Supervision of Psychotherapy and Counselling: A Study Protocol for a Scoping Review. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 718314. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718314

Published Jan. 23, 2024 10:53 AM - Last modified Jan. 23, 2024 10:59 AM

Contact

Participants

Detailed list of participants