Emotional Intelligence and Psychotherapy Outcomes

What is it about?

Narrative descriptions of incompetent trainee clinicians suggest that such trainees may have unacceptably low emotional intelligence (EI), which is consistent with a lack of the requisite baseline competencies necessary for more advanced practicum competency development. There further remains a need to identify standardized instruments that could facilitate gate-keeping decisions and support trainee development. The purpose of this study, which included 32 trainee clinicians and their respective 133 clients, was to characterize trainee EI while taking into account the potential effect(s) of personality factors. Results revealed that neuroticism significantly predicted client change, with EI moderating this relationship. The model accounted for 46% of the variance in client outcomes. Drawing on the private self-consciousness literature, an explanation for the valuable interaction between EI and neuroticism in producing client change is discussed and implications for training, practice, and future research are identified.

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