Psychologists’ Decision-Making Processes and Engagement in Evidence-Based Practice in Psychotherapy #119

Title: Psychologists' Decision-Making Processes and Engagement in Evidence-Based Practice in Psychotherapy

Description: Our study aims to: (1) explore how psychologists make decisions in real-time in psychotherapy; (2) investigate the use of evidence-based practice in psychotherapy settings; (3) investigate the consideration and integration of client characteristics in the decision-making process. To this end, we will be recruiting psychologists across Canada who have been practicing primarily from a Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy approach for either 5 years or less OR over 20 years. We will present participants with a fictional clinical case, in video and written format, and invite psychologists to think about how they would approach treatment with this client. Psychologists will be asked to verbalize their thoughts using the Think-aloud method, an evidence-based method providing insight into participants' cognitive processes. All verbalizations will be transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Our research questions for this study include the following: (1) What are the core components of the decision-making process used by psychologists in individual psychotherapy? (2) To what extent does evidence inform this decision-making process? (3) To what extent are client characteristics considered in the decision-making process? (4) Do psychologists differ in their decision-making processes depending on their level of expertise (novice vs. expert)?

Survey Links:
https://qualtricsxmkb69ms8kh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6qZs4CBKUIJkvlA (English version)
https://qualtricsxmkb69ms8kh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_diBsxOSyaVTqU6i (French version)

Specifics: Study Population:
Participants will be psychologists who primarily practice Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy in private practice in Canada. Psychologists must have either 1 to 5 years of clinical experience, OR over 20 years of clinical experience.

Participant Obligation:
Participants will complete a preliminary questionnaire to ensure eligibility and collect demographic information. They will then partake in a 2-hour video interview where they will be presented with and asked questions about a clinical case.

Location: Online-Montreal.

Project lead: Gabrielle Ciquier, Michelle Azzi, Supervisor: Martin Drapeau

Study Dates: June 3, 2024 to September 13, 2024

Study Website: https://qualtricsxmkb69ms8kh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6qZs4CBKUIJkvlA