Case Reports to Develop and Prove Competence in Behavior Therapy. Introduction: The final phase of training in behavior therapy has two aims: developing therapeutic competence and evaluating the results of the training. Research on training in behavior therapy has not yet systematically explored the importance of case reports to meet these objectives. Therefore, this phase and its core element, case reports on patients treated, were investigated in a pilot study. Subjects and Methods: A survey study was conducted asking behavior therapists mainly from Austria and Switzerland about the final requirements of their training, particularly about case reports. The focus was set on the number and sort of case reports, their importance as training and examination methods, problems concerning embellishment and biasing of these reports, and strategies to prevent these problems. Results: Generally, behavior therapists have to meet more than one requirement to complete their training (case reports, short reports, final exams, presentations etc.). Behavior therapists rated case reports as more important for fostering therapeutic competence than as examination criteria. However, they believe that case reports bear a high risk of being embellished or even falsified by their authors. To prevent these problems, supervisors should continuously control and, at the end, certify authenticity of these reports. Conclusion: The results demonstrate the importance of case reports which should play a major role to acquire competence. In order to be a valid part of the examinations their quality must be assured by preventive methods and they must be complemented by further methods.
