The aim of this research was to longitudinally and quantitatively investigate sense of coherence (SOC) and coping strategies as predictors of compassion satisfaction (CS) and compassion fatigue (CF) as measured by secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout (BT) during the first six months of training in a professional psychology training programme. Trainee therapists’, “dramatically shift” their “focus of functioning over time” to adorn the personality and self of the therapist (Rønnestad & Skovholt, 2003, p. 28). This adaptive process may initially unravel over six months as trainees balance client and workload stressors (Hill, Sullivan, Knox & Schlosser, 2007; Tryssenaar & Perkins, 2001). However, research on the developmental processes behind the negative (CF) and positive (CS) avenues of therapeutic stressors is lacking in the trainee therapists’ population, especially quantitatively (Schwing, LaFollette, Steinfeldt & Wong, 2010; Thériault, Gazzola & Richardson, 2009). This research aimed to explore these issues in relation to professional development through SOC and coping as predictors of CS and CF over a six month training period. Variables were investigated quantitatively through the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) (Stamm, 2010) the Brief COPE (BCOPE) (Carver, 1997) and the 29-item self-report Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) (Antonovsky, 1987). As such, the primary focus of this research was on how SOC and coping strategies were utilised by trainee therapists as process variables in predicting the positive (CS) and negative (CF) avenues of therapeutic work over a six month period of psychotherapy training. Findings suggested that, at the beginning of training, sense of coherence was directly associated with the core outcome variables (CS and CF (as measured by STS and BT). When trainee therapists started seeing clients two months later, the effect of SOC was mediated by coping. At the end of training, only coping was directly associated with outcome variables as the effect of SOC on CS and CF disappeared. These implications are further discussed in the research.

Den föreliggande studien syftade till att utvärdera behandlingseffekten av den kognitiva beteendeterapin som bedrivs av terapeutkandidater vid psykoterapimottagningen på Karlstads universitet, med fokus på hälsorelaterad livskvalitet. Dessutom ämnade studien undersöka effekter på optimism och symptombild. Upprepad mätning användes och studien innefattade en behandlingsgrupp (n = 21), som erhöll kognitiv beteendeterapi under i genomsnitt 10,7 sessioner och en kontrollgrupp (n = 14), som stod på väntelista i genomsnitt 8,6 veckor. Resultatet av studien antyder en förbättring hos klienterna i behandlingsgruppen avseende delar av hälsorelaterad livskvalitet och optimism samt en minskning av ångestsymptom. Efter närmare 11 terapisessioner förbättrades klienterna i behandlingsgruppen signifikant avseende allmän hälsa (p = 0,028) och uppvisade en signifikant ökning gällande optimism (p = 0,027). Dessutom förbättrades klienterna beträffande flera områden inom psykisk hälsa samt uppvisade en minskning av ångestsymptom. Samtidigt pekar studien på att en viss förbättring sker även inom kontrollgruppen, vilket kan bero på den initiala terapeutiska kontakten, förväntanseffekt eller spontanremission. Studien indikerar att kognitiv beteendeterapi utförd av terapeutkandidater kan ha en positiv effekt på delar av HRQOL och optimism.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rita Helena Cuce Nobre Gabriades.pdf: 737342 bytes, checksum: b07c08b4d810de238d4f54bc2ce2dd74 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-27 / The present work has originated from the researcher professional experience as an university professor of the Psychology Graduation Course, supervising the beginning of clinic practice probationary period for many years. It casts light in the possibility to reflect about the passage ritual of the first clinical consultations, that embraces the psychologist profession. The work consists of addressing the meaning of this experience on clinical consultation beginner trainees. The method has a phenomenological approach, aiming to address the feelings related to the clinical practice beginning. The trainee has been considered as an actor of a historic-socio-political context in which he/she lives, stressing the process of their continuous formation present on their experience perceptions discourse. Four trainee-therapists from a private university Applied Psychology Center in the City of Sao Paulo have been interviewed. They were on the 4th and 5th year of the Psychology Graduation Course, taking care of the Service School users for the first time. The study has focused the complexity of the trainees strategies to deeply live the passage ritual and its importance for the profession beginning. In the individual plan, it has been noticed the influence of supervisors and professors models as an endorsement to face this moment. Finally, it has concluded that is important to think the psychologist on his/her formation as compromised agents with the social reality / Iniciou-se esse trabalho a partir da experiência profissional do pesquisador como professora universitária no curso de Psicologia e que acompanha há vários anos estagiários no inicio da prática clinica, trazendo à luz a possibilidade de refletirmos sobre o ritual de passagem dos primeiros atendimentos clínicos, e que abraça ser psicólogo com profissão. O trabalho consiste em evidenciar o significado dessa experiência de estagiários iniciantes em atendimentos clínicos. O método teve a perspectiva fenomenológica, visando destacar os sentimentos relacionados ao inicio da prática clínica como participante do contexto histórico-político-social em que vive. Destacando o processo de formação contínua do estagiário no discurso de suas percepções desta vivência. Foram entrevistados quatro estagiários-terapeutas de um Centro de Psicologia Aplicada de uma universidade particular da cidade de São Paulo, que freqüentavam o 4º e o 5º ano do curso de Psicologia, atendendo pela primeira vez os usuários do Serviço - Escola. O estudo focaliza a complexidade dos recursos utilizados pelos estagiários para vivenciar o ritual de passagem e a importância do refletir sobre essa entrada na profissão. A importância no pensar o psicólogo e a formação como agentes compromissados com a realidade social. No plano individual pôde-se notar a influência de modelos dos supervisores e professores como respaldo para enfrentar esse momento