Training of Cross-cultural Competencies in Psychotherapists

Philipps University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy Volunteers

Treatments: Behavioral: Training; Behavioral: Education only

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03038347

Cross-cultural psychotherapy

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a web-based training program with text-based information as well as practical exercises can improve cross-cultural competencies in therapists.

Full description

As the number of patients from diverse cultures increases in psychotherapeutic care, cross-cultural competencies of therapists become increasingly important. In particular, mental health care of patients with immigration background needs to be improved as studies show that these patients drop out of treatment more often and benefit less from therapy. In addition, patients with immigration background and refugees show higher prevalences in mental illnesses. Nevertheless, evaluated training programs to improve cross-cultural competencies in psychotherapists are lacking. In particular, web-based training programs, which allow therapists to work time-flexible and at their own pace on a training, are, to date, missing completely.

For the current study, a web-based training program to improve therapists' cross-cultural competencies was developed. It is based on existing conceptions of cross-cultural competencies. The developed program consists of six modules with the following contents: definitions and conceptions of culture, the role of cross-cultural competencies in psychotherapy, the influence of prejudices and discrimination as well as the role of migration and acculturation, and culturally sensitive diagnostics. The modules contain PDF-files with text-based information, video files, case studies with associated questions as well as practical exercises. The main focus of the training is the participants' self-reflection concerning their conceptions of (their own) culture and their beliefs about culturally diverse patients. The training group will be compared to two other groups, i.e. an education only and a waitlist control group. Whereas the waitlist control group will not receive any training materials, the education only group will receive a slimmed down version of the training consisting only of text-based information files.

Enrollment: 173 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• current psychotherapeutic work
• Internet access
• sufficient German language skills
• ongoing or completed training in Psychotherapy

Exclusion criteria

• too much previous knowledge about cross-cultural competencies (> 10h training)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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173 participants in 3 patient groups

Training

Experimental group

Description:

In the training group, participants work six weeks on the training program, one module per week. The modules contain PDF-files with text-based information, video files, case studies with associated questions as well as practical exercises that participants perform independently. The main purpose of this intervention is the improvement of cross-cultural competencies in psychotherapists

Treatment:

Behavioral: Training

Education only

Active Comparator group

Description:

In the education only group, participants work six weeks on a slimmed down version of the training program. The modules only contain text-based information without any exercises. After completion, participants receive access to the practical exercises, case studies and video files as well. Main purpose of the education only group is to determine whether the practical part of the training program can offer additional benefit.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Education only

Waiting control

No Intervention group

Description:

Initially, participants do not receive any training contents. After a six week waiting period, they can participate in the training program as well. Modules are equivalent to those of the training group. Purpose of this group is to determine whether the training program is effective.