Assessment of Therapist Competence in Group Therapy: Pilot Study to Validate the German Cognitive Therapy Scale for Group Therapy (CTS-D-G)

Background: From a methodological point of view, psychotherapeutic competence is an important quality characteristic when assessing the validity of psychotherapy studies. To date, there has been no instrument for judging the competence of psychotherapists in group therapies. Objective: To determine the suitability of the German adaptation of the Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS-D-G) for assessing psychotherapeutic competence in cognitive-behavioral therapy groups. Method: The CTS-D-G system was evaluated by two raters who relied on 32 exemplary video recordings of seven therapists and 68 patients from 16 therapy groups, within a randomized, controlled trial including patients with depression and diabetes. Results: Very good interrater reliability (r =. 82) and high internal consistency (Cronbach's a = .96) were evident. Conclusions: This study provides initial indications that the CTS-D-G is suitable for assessing the competence of psychotherapists in behavioral therapeutic group therapy.