A National Survey of Canadian Psychiatry Residents' Perceptions of Psychotherapy Training

Abstract

Objective: To explore Canadian psychiatry residents' perceptions of their psychotherapy training and identify factors that may influence decisions to practise psychotherapy after graduation. Method: We surveyed psychiatry residents at all training sites across Canada, using a self-report questionnaire. Results: The response rate was 63%. Of the respondents, 68% indicated that the prospect of learning and practising psychotherapy was a factor in their decisions to become psychiatrists, and 87% considered their ability to practise psychotherapy to be important to their identities as psychiatrists. The majority of residents (71%) were generally satisfied with their psychotherapy training. Among the graduating class of residents, 84% anticipate practising psychotherapy in some capacity. Satisfaction with their overall training experience and supervision and feeling competent to perform psychotherapy were significantly associated with their decisions to practise psychotherapy after graduation. Conclusions: Most psychiatry residents currently enrolled in postgraduate training programs across Canada view psychotherapy as having an important role in the way they anticipate practising psychiatry.