1 - (OP10) A Discussion of Common Myths About CBT in Graduate Clinical Psychology Training: Consideration of Adult Learning Principles

Training and education in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) remains important. Limited work has examined the type of myths held about psychotherapy generally, and more specific to CBT. Prior research has revealed factors associated with whether a graduate trainee will adopt a new therapy approach generally, but not always specific to CBT. The purpose of this paper is to present part of a larger commentary on doctoral clinical psychology graduate students’ perspectives on common myths about CBT and their possible origin. In the commentary, common myths held by graduate students prior to their engagement in competency-based training included CBT not valuing the therapeutic relationship, being overly manualized and rigid, and the general view that exposure-based techniques (e.g., imaginal, in vivo, ERP) are cruel for patients. Possible origins of these myths were identified by graduate students to be psychotherapy introductory courses that lack in-depth coverage of CBT, showing brief video segments in introductory classes that miss the context of the therapy session and overall protocol, and graduate students own experience with CBT. Possible ways to address these myths include training courses holding space for a discussion of attitudes about CBT, specific learning activities (e.g., mock skills practice), and course content related to the integration of cultural variables. Lessons learned are discussed through the lens of a model of adult learning that may be applied to graduate training in evidence-based therapies like CBT.