The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training Program on Reducing Emotional and Social Distress: Three Years Follow Up

Background and aim of study:

This paper addresses the question: is a brief cognitive behavior therapy training program enhances psychologist’s skills as reflected in scores on cognitive therapy skills scale and in helping students with emotional and social problems? The aim of the study: to explore the impact of the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy training program on reducing emotional and social distress over 3 years.

Research methods:

Participants are 35 school psychologists (20 females and 15 males) have received intensive cognitive behavior therapy training for 6 days during two weeks followed by one to one supervision in school sittings for three months. Participants completed cognitive behavior therapy scale. Individual and group counseling sessions delivered to male and female (age mean is 13.7 years) students known of emotional and social problems during the current school year. Supervisors wrote a report in the end of three months practice, students and parent’s feedback had collected.

Results:

Results show that differences between pre and post scores on cognitive behavior therapy scale are statistically significant (t=4.92), supervisors reports and students feedback indicate improving therapeutic skills by the end of three months practice.

Conclusion:

Cognitive behavior therapy training program has positive influence in enhancing cognitive behavior therapy skills in school psychologists that reflected in providing effective counseling for students with emotional and social problems. Supervision based training optimizing the therapeutic outcome in both individual and group therapy sessions. Follow up of 3 years revealed continuous effect of the training and continuous supervision in improving counseling skills of school psychologists.

Keywords:

cognitive behavior therapy, emotional problems, social problems, cognitive behavior therapy skills, cognitive therapy scale

Copyright:

© 2021 Sabra Z. E. I., Daigham A. I. Published by Archives of International Journal of Science Annals

DOI and UDC:

DOI https://doi.org/10.26697/ijsa.2021.1.3 UDC 159.955:37.091.315.7

Information about the authors:

Sabra Zizi Elsayed Ibrahim (Corresponding Author) – https://orcid.org/0000- 0001-8329-9615; [email protected]; Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt. Daigham Abdelmohsen Ibrahim – https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6253-0005; Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.