Development and Preliminary Validation of the Group Cognitive Therapy Scale to Measure Therapist Competence

ObjectiveThe aim of this research was to create a scale to assess the competency of therapists who conduct group cognitive behavioral therapy (G-CBT), which can serve as a tool to aid the continued training of therapists. MethodsThree stepped studies were conducted. Study 1: Through literature review and experts consensus process, essential skills for G-CBT were articulated and were categorized according to the criteria of the Cognitive Therapy Scale, a well-established rating scale to evaluate clinicians skills in individual cognitive behavioral therapy. The list of those skills was organized into a rating scale. Study 2: Behavioral anchors were added to each skill and were classified by the levels of difficulty (beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels), based on the rating by G-CBT experts. Study 3: Interrater reliability and validity of the rating scale were examined in a sample of forty-one videotaped G-CBT sessions of actual clinical sessions and educational role-plays. ResultsA twelve-item Group Cognitive Therapy Scale was developed. It consists of eleven items that have been adopted from the original Cognitive Therapy Scale, with the addition of a new item called "Intervention Using Relationships with Other Participants." This scale showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbachs alpha: 0.95), satisfactory inter-rater reliability (interclass correlation coefficients: 0.65 - 0.88), and high predictive validity. ConclusionA novel rating scale to evaluate therapists competency in G-CBT was developed and successfully validated.