Interpersonal skills training for experienced therapists

The study: A waitlist-controlled trial with 68 experienced therapists: a two-day facilitative interpersonal and relational skills workshop plus two booster sessions, with skills measured by performance task at three time points.

What they found: There was no significant group-by-time interaction. One group improved significantly after training and the other improved slightly. The largest gains were in alliance bond capacity and responding to ruptures and repair; self-efficacy did not change.

Why it matters for practice: Experienced therapists start from a higher baseline, so gains may be smaller and harder to detect. Alliance skills again look like the most trainable target.

Fagerbakk, S. A., Brattland, H., Lindberg, M. S., McAleavey, A. A., & Ryum, T. (2026). Improving interpersonal skills in therapists: A waitlist-controlled trial of facilitative interpersonal and relational skills training. Psychotherapy Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2026.2666652