Therapist Training Outcome Study
written by Susan Connor, Research Associate
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The purpose of this research project is to assess and compare the effectiveness of the asynchronous and synchronous portions of therapist training in Relational Life Therapy (RLT). Our working hypothesis is that the live practice and integration training will add significantly to the development of therapists’ ability to provide effective couples therapy.

Specific goals are to:

• assess the impact of various sections of the training for their effectiveness in increasing participants’ knowledge of RLT concepts,
  
• assess the impact of various sections of the training for their effectiveness in increasing participants’ confidence in applying RLT concepts in practice,
  
• explore the relationship between participation in the training and changes in participants’ levels of self-compassion, ability to self-regulate, and markers of healthy attachment in their own personal lives.
  

View Outcome Results from our Pilot study

​Significant progress during 2023 Q1:

• Finalized all survey content 
• Submitted application for IRB exemption to WCG IRB (formerly the Western Institutional Review Board), which is an independent commercial IRB that holds contracts with more than 3,000 well-respected institutions of all sizes across academia and industry. In a decision dated February 13, 2023, the IRB agreed that the study qualifies as exempt research under 45 CFR 46. 
• Without the need for full IRB review, we were able to launch this arm of RLT research relatively quickly. Created the pre- and post-survey templates in Survey Monkey
• Tested surveys with RLT instructors to ensure the surveys run smoothly and there are no areas of confusion or ambiguity

Therapist Training Outcomes research project officially launched with a practicum 1 (P1) session that started on March 2, 2023, completing March 30, 2023. ​

​PROCESS

The time needed for completing surveys at various points of the training varies between 5 -15 minutes.

Pre-Test Process

1. When people initially sign up for training they are sent an email describing the certification program.  This email will contain a request that they participate in the research, and a link they can follow if they are willing.
2. Trainees have the opportunity to review the study description and consent form and complete the survey within two weeks, if they so desire. 
3. This survey contains all the questionnaires (except for the course evaluations) that we will be using during the research period, including demographic information.

Training Testing Process (specific to the synchronous portions of training)

Practicum 1:

1. Pre-practicum surveys are opened on the day prior to the start of each new P1 training session. 
2. Survey links are provided to the course instructor, who introduces the survey to participants and distributes the link. Instructors send out the pre-survey link with a reminder email to enrollees the evening before a class begins. 
3. Trainees have the opportunity to review the study description and consent form and complete the survey prior to the first day of class. 
4. Trainees who have completed the initial pre-test will be able to skip over the demographic section.
5. As the class prepares for the mid-day break on day one, the instructor again describes the research project and distributes the survey link, providing another opportunity to enroll trainees who may not have taken time to review the consent form prior to class or may have had questions they wanted to address with the instructor. 
6. The survey remains open until the class reconvenes after the mid-day break. 
7. The survey is closed at that point to ensure that the pre-surveys measure trainee knowledge prior to substantial work in P1.
8. Post-practicum surveys are  administered on the final day of class, shortly before the check-out.  This is a truncated version of the survey, which on average takes less than 5 minutes.
9. The instructor reintroduces the Therapist Training Outcomes Research project and invites all trainees to take part in the survey (regardless of whether they completed the pre-test) noting that it is substantially shorter than previous surveys. 
10. Trainees who do not wish to participate are able to skip forward to the course evaluation.
11. Trainees who do participate complete the post-surveys, followed by the course evaluation. 

Practicum 2:

1. Post-practicum surveys are  administered on the final day of class, shortly before the check-out.  This is a truncated version of the survey, which on average takes less than 5 minutes.
2. The instructor reintroduces the Therapist Training Outcomes Research project and invites all trainees to take part in the survey,  (regardless of whether they completed the pre-test) noting that it is substantially shorter than previous surveys. 
3. Trainees who do not wish to participate are able to skip forward to the course evaluation.
4. Trainees who do participate complete the post-surveys, followed by the course evaluation. 

Post-test - Practicum 3 (Small Group Mentoring)

1. At the end of the last mentoring session the facilitator asks the participants to consider completing another survey, and they are given the link, which stays open for one month, with a 4 week reminder going to those who have not yet completed it.
2. This survey contains all the questionnaires used previously, along with a few open ended questions about the impact of the training on their personal and professional lives.  Estimated time for completion is between 15-30 minutes. 
3. Trainees who do not wish to participate are able to skip forward to the course evaluation.

6-Month Follow-up

1. All students who have completed any portion of any survey previously will be invited to complete the post-test survey.  This will contain all the questionnaires used previously and is estimated to take about 10-15 minutes.
2. Students who complete the survey will be invited to participate in an interview with one of the researchers to discuss their experience with RLT training and the impact it is having on their personal and professional lives.

12-Month Follow-up

1. All students who have completed any portion of any survey previously will be invited to complete the post-test survey.  This will contain all the questionnaires used previously and is estimated to take about 10-15 minutes.

Participation and Timeline
Approximately 25 students enroll in the certification program each month.  We estimate that about 25-30% of new students will complete the pre-test.  There are approximately thirty one-month practicums that will be completed by the end of  2023 and about six six-month practicums.  We estimate a higher participation rate (about 50%) for the live trainings.  While the ultimate goal is to be able to track participants through the entire training process, not all students will complete all surveys.  There is nonetheless value in gathering as much data as possible at each point in the training.   Data analysis for these subsets will be based on sample size and number of survey time points available. We will not begin analysis until we have survey numbers robust enough to draw valid conclusions from the data.  We expect to have preliminary data by the end of 2023, which will give us the opportunity to make adjustments to the research plan for 2024, if needed.  By mid-to-late 2024 we should have enough data to prepare a paper for publication.  By the end of 2025 we should have enough follow data to prepare a second paper for publication.