Developing the competent psychiatric psychotherapist: A single-site, retrospective study

Psychiatry residents often enter their residency training intending to practice psychotherapy after completing residency; however, this early interest appears to diminish over the course of their training. To preserve psychotherapy as a core competency of future psychiatrists, different educational approaches might be considered, including introducing formal psychotherapy training in the first year of residency to capitalise on this early interest. The University of Manitoba postgraduate psychiatry training programme has a 20-year history of beginning formal psychotherapy training in the first year of residency. This study examines former residents' perceptions of psychotherapy training in the early years of their residency that have affected their career path trajectory with regard to their perceived competencies as psychotherapists and psychiatrists. The authors electronically surveyed 59 psychiatrists who completed psychiatry residency at the University of Manitoba between the years of 2000 and 2011 regarding their perspectives of their early years of their psychotherapy training, as well as the impact of formal psychotherapy training on their current practice. Survey response rate was 35.6%. Only 23.8% had a psychotherapy-oriented practice. Most (90.5%) highly valued their psychotherapeutic skills, and 95.2% of respondents felt that psychotherapy training should begin in the first year of residency. Psychiatrists endorsed the opportunities to observe formal psychotherapy and participate in co-therapy as elements of psychotherapy training that would most enhance their skill and competency development. This survey supports the early introduction of psychotherapies training, and suggests that these skills are highly valued by general psychiatrists.