Barriers to Adoption of New Treatments: An Internet Study of Practicing Community Psychotherapists

Over 1,600 North American psychotherapists from a wide range of disciplines and practice settings completed an open-ended question on perceived barriers to adoption of new treatments as part of an internet survey. Content analysis indicated that there were five overall themes: clinician attitudes, client characteristics, contextual or institutional factors, training issues and other. The most frequently endorsed theme revolved around training issues, particularly, insufficient time and cost for training, lack of confidence in mastering the technique, and lack of opportunities for refining skills. Specific ideas for overcoming these barriers are identified.

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