Training Trainees and Trainers:

1
Training Trainees and Trainers Lessons from
Clinical for I/O Psychology Peter A. Heslin
Gary P. Latham University of Toronto
Canadian Psychological Association Annual
Convention Laval University Ste-Foy, Quebec 22
June 2001
2

• Integration of Psychology
• Thorne (1945) Times are ripe for all the
  psychological sciences to cooperate harmoniously
• Divisions of scholarly societies ... APA (n53)
  ... CPA (n 23)
• Sharing between sub-disciplines?
• Experimental psychology ? I/O regarding training

3
Overview Lessons from Clinical ? Training 1.
Clinical methods applied 2. Additional
potential techniques 3. Training the trainer
4

• Clinical Methods Applied
• Self-regulation
• F. Kanfer (1970, 1996)
• Frayne Latham (1987)
• Latham Frayne (1989)

5

• Clinical Methods Applied
• Functional self-talk
• Meichenbaum (1977)
• Millman Latham (2001)
• Brown Latham (2000)

6

• Clinical Methods Applied
• Visualization/Mental Practice
• Richardson (1967, 1994)
• Morin Latham (2000)

7

• Additional Potential Techniques
• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
• Learned Helplessness/Learned Optimism

8

• Additional Potential Techniques
• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
• Albert Ellis (1958, 1999)
• ABC
• Irrational beliefs - unfounded absolutes
• - demands commands
• Rational beliefs - moderate flexible
• - preferences desires
• Techniques increase self-efficacy?
• Cognitive e.g. reframing
• Emotive e.g. self-disclosure
• Imaginal e.g. vividly imagining dreaded events
• Behavioral e.g. progressive relaxation

9

• Additional Potential Techniques
• Learned Helplessness/Learned Optimism (Seligman,
  1968, 1998)
• Abramson, Seligman, Teasdale (1978) - Locus?
  Generality? Globality?
• ASQ (Peterson et al., 1982) Pessimistic
  explanatory style - problems are seen as
  personal, pervasive and permanent ? helplessness
• Optimistic explanatory style ? creativity,
  productivity and resilience a result of
  increasing outcome expectations?
• Techniques
• Use ASQ to identify learned helplessness
• Identify pessimistic thoughts evaluate
  consequences replace with more optimistic
  thoughts

10

• Training the Trainer
• Working alliance (WA)
• Attachment theory

11

• Training the Trainer
• Working alliance (Bordin, 1979, 1994)
• (a) the quality of the relationship between the
  client and therapist
• (b) mutual understanding and agreement regarding
  the goal(s) of therapy
• (c) mutual understanding and agreement regarding
  the tasks to be pursued to attain the goal
• crucial for facilitating client change (Horvath
  Symonds, 1991)
• I/O Research
• What strategies for developing a strong working
  alliance are suitable within organizations?
• Hypothesis Training outcomes will be positively
  related to the strength of the WA between the
  trainer and trainee

12

• Training the Trainer
• Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969, 1988)
• Key features (a) worthiness of oneself? (b)
  accessibility of others?
• 3 attachment styles (AS) are (1) secure, (2)
  anxious-ambivalent, (3) avoidant (Ainsworth et
  al., 1978)
• AS ? info seeking and processing, engagement with
  tasks and people, and emotional self-regulation
  (Lopez Brennan, 2000)
• Perceiving an accessible secure base ? people
  work without undue stress, distraction, conflict,
  ambivalence or anxiety (Horowitz, et al., 1993)
• Research
• Kilmann et al.s (1999) workshop
• Effect on conflict resolution? Group
  effectiveness? Coaching outcomes?

13

• Summary of Potential Lessons
• I/O needs to keep breaking down the walls with
  clinical psychology
• Pay more attention to affect
• RET - increase self-efficacy, emotional stability
  and performance?
• Learned optimism - increase outcome expectations
  and goal commitment?
• Working alliance - consequences of training
  trainers to develop a strong WA?
• Attachment theory - viability of developing more
  securely attached trainers and trainees?
• Potential limitations