Patterns of Learning in Family Therapy Training

This study presents the results of an evaluation of two cohorts of trainees who had completed a 2‐year training program in family therapy. The 15 trainees were assessed in the areas of perceptual/conceptual, intervention/executive skills and personal development both pre‐ and post‐training. Although the group results showed skill acquisition in all areas assessed, the individual results revealed a complexity in performance glossed over by the group analysis. Trainees' learning commenced from different baselines, advanced at different rates, and there was a marked discrepancy between self‐reports of improvements (or otherwise) and the results of the observer‐rated measures. We recommend that increasing attention be paid to individual differences in learning styles in training and in evaluation.