Psychotherapy training in Turkey: Experience of early career psychiatrists

INTRODUCTION: Theoretical and practical psychotherapy training improves psychiatrists' case management and treatment skills. However, little is known about the extent that in Turkey early career psychiatrists have access to these opportunities and their experiences, so in this study, we aimed to investigate various aspects of the psychotherapy training of early career adult, child and adolescent psychiatrists in Turkey. METHODS: A 22 items questionnaire was disseminated in Turkey to psychiatry trainees and early career psychiatrists (psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry trainees and specialists who are in the first 5 years of their career and younger than 40). The questionnaire inquired about participants': i) sociodemographics; ii) the quality of the psychotherapy training; iii) organizational aspects of psychotherapy training; iv) satisfaction with psychotherapy training. RESULTS: A total of 103 individuals (n=41 psychiatrists, n=37 psychiatry trainees, n=12 child and adolescent psychiatrists, and n=13 child and adolescent psychiatry trainees) responded to this questionnaire. While 68% of the participants stated that psychotherapy training is included in psychiatry training, 89.3% stated they have conducted psychotherapy training themselves and 76.7% reported that they received supervision. Only 41.7% stated that they were going to their own personal psychotherapy or had gone before, and 59.2% were not a qualified psychotherapist. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: One third of psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry trainees in Turkey cannot access psychotherapy training in their institutes, and one fourth cannot access supervision opportunities, and more than half are deprived of their personal therapy processes. This should be addressed to improve the skills and competencies of psychiatrists that train in Turkey.