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Assessing panic disorder-specific competencies: evaluation of the Cognitive Therapy Competence Scale for panic disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2020

Sheena Liness ,
Sarah Beale ,
David M. Clark ,
Paul M. Salkovskis ,
Anke Ehlers Open the ORCID record for Anke Ehlers [Opens in a new window]  and
Jennifer Wild
Sheena Liness*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
Sarah Beale
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
David M. Clark
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Paul M. Salkovskis
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Anke Ehlers
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Jennifer Wild
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background:

Evidence-based treatment for panic disorder consists of disorder-specific cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) protocols. However, most measures of CBT competence are generic and there is a clear need for disorder-specific assessment measures.

Aims:

To fill this gap, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the Cognitive Therapy Competence Scale (CTCP) for panic disorder.

Method:

CBT trainees (n = 60) submitted audio recordings of CBT for panic disorder that were scored on a generic competence measure, the Cognitive Therapy Scale – Revised (CTS-R), and the CTCP by markers with experience in CBT practice and evaluation. Trainees also provided pre- to post-treatment clinical outcomes on disorder-specific patient report measures for cases corresponding to their therapy recordings.

Results:

The CTCP exhibited strong internal consistency (α = .79–.91) and inter-rater reliability (ICC = .70–.88). The measure demonstrated convergent validity with the CTS-R (r = .40–.54), although investigation into competence classification indicated that the CTCP may be more sensitive at detecting competence for panic disorder-specific CBT skills. Notably, the CTCP demonstrated the first indication of a relationship between therapist competence and clinical outcome for panic disorder (r = .29–.35); no relationship was found for the CTS-R.

Conclusions:

These findings provide initial support for the reliability and validity of the CTCP for assessing therapist competence in CBT for panic disorder and support the use of anxiety disorder-specific competence measures. Further investigation into the psychometric properties of the measure in other therapist cohorts and its relationship with clinical outcomes is recommended.

Keywords

CBTcompetencedisorder-specific measurespanic disordertraining
Type
Main
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 49 , Issue 2 , March 2021 , pp. 197 - 205
Copyright
© British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2020

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