“Before, I did not have any idea what psychotherapylooks like in practice. Now I have a

greater understanding of what to expect, and how actual psychotherapy works.”

Therapy 101: Introducing Medical Students to PsychotherapyFrieda Aboul-Fotouh, M.D., Ali Abbas Asghar-Ali, M.D.

Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,Baylor College of Medicine

Medical students learn little about psychotherapy in medical school. Therapy 101 aims to fill this void.

BACKGROUND

• Despite evidence in support of psychotherapy as a valuable treatment modality, most physicians have only learned about medications as a treatment tool.

• A literature search did not identify a curriculum for medical students that introduced psychotherapy, its application, and evidence

for its use.

• Through mentorship with Dr. Asghar and discussion with leaders in medical education and psychotherapy at Baylor, Dr. Aboul-Fotouh developed “Therapy 101: An Introduction to Psychotherapy.”

• The purpose of this pilot project was to meet a need for a curriculum to expose medical students to psychotherapy

GOALS OF CURRICULUM

• Increase students’ interest in therapy

• Develop a broader knowledge about mental health care and a deeper appreciation of psychiatry

• Introduce student to a theoretical basis for psychotherapy

• Give students practical knowledge of the psychotherapy experience

THERAPY 101 CURRICULUM

METHODS: DEVELOPING THERAPY 101

• Need: No medical student psychotherapy curriculum at Baylor• Resources needed: Time, Audiovisual, Space, Personnel• Activities: Create six modules• Output: Curriculum, Pretest/Posttest, Exit Feedback• Outcomes:o Students will be able to describe different therapies and evidence for

their use.o Students will be able to apply the concepts of transference and

counter transference in the context of therapy and medical treatment.o Students will better understand the experience of therapy.

METHODS: DEVELOPING THERAPY 101 (cont’d)

• Impact:o Increase the perceived value of therapy among providerso Better educated physicians who are able to make referrals more competentlyo Strengthen medical student interest in psychiatry

RESULTS

• The six workshops were given once a month over a six month time span. Students were asked to take an anonymous fifteen question multiple choice quiz both at the beginning and at the end of the series.

• The graph below shows the quiz results and how students self rated their knowledge in response the question:

WRITTEN FEEDBACK WAS CATEGORIZED (A sampling of feedback is given below)

Increasing the value of therapy among providers:• “I would recommend these lectures to other medical students

because they teach you how to think about patients we all contact, and possible psychological hurdles that could interrupt any doctor-patient relationship.”

Better educated physicians who are able to make referrals well more competently:

• “I have much more confidence in recommending psychotherapy and understanding when it is appropriate, and what kind.”

• “I am not going into the field of psychiatry, but this has certainly allowed me to understand how to refer and recognize the need for psychotherapy, and I think it will benefit my practice of any specialty greatly.”

Strengthening interest among those considering psychiatry:• “They confirmed my interest in psychiatry because I get exposure to

more than just med check appointments.”

• “This series helped to confirm my interest in psychiatry, because my interests like in communicating with the patient and participating in the narrative of a patient’s life.”

Suggestions or negative responses:• “More quiz-like multiple choice questions.”

• “I would make the sessions closer together. I forgot some of the concepts by the time the next session came around.”

CONCLUSIONS

• A short and engaging curriculum can be a powerful exposure for

students at this level.

• Therapy 101 was very well accepted by student as an introduction to psychotherapy.

• This course has been integrated into the yearly LACE-MHP at Baylor College of Medicine.

• The success of this pilot project suggests that all medical students may benefit from more exposure to psychotherapy.

On a scale of 1-10, (1-no knowledge to 10-extremely knowledgeable), how would you rate your current knowledge about psychotherapy?