Improving therapists’ effectiveness: Can deliberate practice help?

Considerable attention has been given to the benefits of applying deliberate practice to the field of psychotherapy. The philosophical underpinnings of the deliberate practice framework have the potential to help improve psychotherapy training by encouraging lifelong learning. However, the deliberate practice model has been previously applied and studied in fields that differ from psychotherapy in important ways. These differences have significant implications for the application of deliberate practice to psychotherapy. This article aims to highlight the exciting possibilities and the current limitations of the deliberate practice model for psychotherapy. We offer potential ways to address some of these limitations via research and clinical practice. Giving more consideration to these limitations could increase the utility of deliberate practice for psychotherapists. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)