Some deliberations on deliberate practice: a commentary

The study: A commentary comparing deliberate practice with Alliance-Focused Training and examining its assumptions about therapeutic expertise.

What they found: The authors welcome the move toward experiential learning. They note that behavioral rehearsal, central to deliberate practice, is absent from Alliance-Focused Training. They caution that evidence on what expertise actually is remains thin, suggest closer ties to process research and task analysis, and propose interpersonal attunement and mindful presence as a unifying frame.

Why it matters for practice: A reminder that therapy is relational. Practice targets should reflect what happens between people, not only what the therapist does.

Macdonald, J., Muran, J. C., & Dimaggio, G. (2026). Some deliberations on deliberate practice in psychotherapy: A commentary. Journal of Clinical Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.70065