Residents in personal psychotherapy - A longitudinal and cross-sectional perspective

The authors tested the following hypotheses: I) that current psychiatry res idents engage in personal psychotherapy less frequently than did former res idents; 2) that there are interprogram differences with respect to engageme nt in personal psychotherapy among current residents; and 3) that attitudes about the professional utility of personal psychotherapy and toward psycho dynamic therapy as a form of treatment are related to participation in pers onal psychotherapy. A 66-item anonymous questionnaire was sent to 119 curre nt residents at three local residency training programs and 209 former resi dents of one of the training programs. The questionnaire gathered informati on on the residents' participation in insight-oriented personal psychothera py and attitudes toward personal therapy and toward psychotherapy as a trea tment for patients. Current residents (20%) partake less frequently in pers onal psychotherapy during training than did former residents (70%) (P<0.000 1). Among those in therapy, current residents have less frequent sessions t han former residents. There are differences in participation in personal ps ychotherapy among current residents of different programs, ranging from 6% to 60% (P<0.0001). Residents in personal psychotherapy are more likely to a cknowledge professional utility in personal therapy and to believe that res idents should learn how to deliver insight-oriented therapy. These findings suggest that there has been a recent decline in the use of personal psycho therapy during residency training and a concomitant lower value assigned to psychodynamic therapy by trainees. This lower utilization may be the cause and/or the effect of the lower valuation. If confirmed, these findings ref lect significant changes in the training experience of psychiatrists and ha ve implications for the delivery of psychiatric care.