Systematic review: deliberate practice and skill performance

The study: A systematic review of 11 studies of deliberate practice for therapy skills among trainees and therapists, including seven unique randomized trials.

What they found: In every randomized trial, the deliberate practice group outperformed the control group on the targeted skills. Risk of bias ranged from some concerns to high, and studies differed in who provided the expert guidance and feedback.

Why it matters for practice: Preliminary support for using deliberate practice to build specific skills, with little guidance yet on the best way to deliver it.

Nurse, K., O'Shea, M., Ling, M., Castle, N., & Sheen, J. (2025). The influence of deliberate practice on skill performance in therapeutic practice: A systematic review of early studies. Psychotherapy Research, 35(3), 353–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2024.2308159