Role play in teaching helping skills

• Sche er* introduced a method for teaching the interview of a psychiatric patient in early 1970s. In Sche er’s model, students were assigned roles that
involved doing a subjective selection of the characteristics of a speci c diagnosis and explaining and enacting the selection in role-play. The method was
successful in decreasing students’ anxiety, enabling them better to understand concepts and skills and enhancing identi cation with the client.
• Martin and Kahn** also described a method whereby the students role-played patients and doctors during simulated medical interviews. This approach
helped students increase their insight into patients’ behaviors and doctors’ common reactions.
• Wasylko and Stickley*** described experiences with the use of role-play in the education of psychiatric nurses. They argued for more drama in
education because it equalized the position of participants, teachers and students and promoted empathetic understanding between all participants. They
also believed that it could be a valuable tool for the development of empathy and re ective practice.
• Saeterstrand**** outlined how role-play prepared nursing students for mental health practice. Role-play prepared students for di cult situations that
could arise in the clinic, and students switched from an individual- and symptom-oriented focus to one on interpersonal relationships. In addition, they
became familiar with their own reactions and vulnerabilities.
*Sche er LW. Helping counselors understand emotional disturbance through roleplaying. Couns Educ Supervision. 1973;13(1):72–75. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6978.1973.tb01586.x

**Martin P, Kahn J. Medical students as role playing patients. Acad Psychiatry. 1995;19(2):101–107. doi: 10.1007/BF03341538

***Wasylko Y, Stickley T. Theatre and pedagogy: using drama in mental health nurse education. Nurse Educ Today. 2003;23:443–448

****Sæterstrand T. Roleplaying as pedagogical method (Rollespill som pedagogisk metode). Sykepleien. 2007;95(5):70–71. doi: 10.4220/sykepleiens.2005.0001
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 Prieto, L. R., & Meyers, S. A. (1999). E ects of Training and Supervision on the Self-E cacy of Psychology Graduate
Teaching Assistants

• Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play an essential role in higher education by serving as instructors and mentors for undergraduate students. GTAs often lack
training and supervision in teaching, which can negatively impact their self-e cacy in teaching. Purpose of the study - to examine the e ects of training and
supervision on the self-e cacy of psychology GTAs and explore the implications of these ndings for GTA training programs.

• The study recruited 29 psychology GTAs from a large university in the United States who participated in a teaching training program. Participants completed a
self-report questionnaire at the beginning and end of the training program, which included measures of teaching self-e cacy and teaching anxiety. Teaching self-
e cacy was measured using the Teaching Self-E cacy Scale (TSES), a 12-item self-report measure that assesses participants' perceived self-e cacy in teaching-
related tasks. The TSES has been found to have good reliability and validity in previous research. Teaching anxiety was measured using the Teaching Anxiety
Scale (TAS), a 10-item self-report measure that assesses participants' anxiety related to teaching. The TAS has been found to have good reliability and validity in
previous research.

• The results showed signi cant improvements in teaching self-e cacy and reductions in teaching anxiety among the psychology GTAs after completing the
training program. Speci cally, the participants reported increased con dence in their ability to teach, provide feedback, and manage classroom dynamics. The
training program also resulted in a signi cant reduction in teaching anxiety among the participants. These ndings suggest that training and supervision can be
e ective in enhancing the con dence and skills of GTAs, and reducing anxiety related to teaching.
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 The use of clinical role-play and re ection in learning therapeutic communication skills in mental health education: an
integrative review (2019)

• A total of 15 studies were considered in literature matrix. The studies were conducted in various settings and with di erent populations, including nursing
students, medical students, and mental health professionals. The use of clinical role-play and re ection was found to be e ective in improving communication
skills, including empathy, active listening, and verbal and nonverbal communication. Participants also reported increased con dence in their ability to
communicate with individuals experiencing mental health issues.

• The ndings suggest that clinical role-play and re ection is an e ective method for teaching therapeutic communication skills in mental health education. The
use of this method can help students and professionals to develop and improve their communication skills, which can lead to better patient outcomes and improved
patient satisfaction. Based on this current review, role-playing in supervised groups seems to promote re ection and insight not only for students in the patient and
therapist roles, but also for peers observing the group sessions.

• The use of clinical role-play and re ection is a promising method for teaching therapeutic communication skills in mental health education. It has been found to be
e ective in improving communication skills and increasing con dence in communication with individuals experiencing mental health issues.

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 The use of clinical role-play and re ection in learning therapeutic communication skills in mental health education: an
integrative review (2019)

• The e ects of successful role-play were seen in 1983* -> role-play decreased students’ anxiety,
enabled them better to understand concepts and skills and enhanced identi cation with the client.

• The use of role-play to teach psychiatric interviews** - most relatable article chosen for the
review. 71% of respondents felt that the experience had made them more aware of patients’
feelings, and 90% indicated that the role-play had made them more aware of their own feelings;
84% felt that the experience could be used in other rotations; 94% used the skills learned during
their rotations and 74% said they could utilize the skills in other rotations.

*Sche er LW. Helping counselors understand emotional disturbance through roleplaying. Couns Educ Supervision. 1973;13(1):72–75. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6978.1973.tb01586.x

**Wol TK, Miller D. Using roleplaying to teach the psychiatric interview. J Group Psychother Psychodrama Sociom. 1993;46(2):43–51.
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 Al-Darmaki, Fatima R. COUNSELOR TRAINING, ANXIETY, AND COUNSELING SELF-EFFICACY: IMPLICATIONS

FOR TRAINING PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNIVERSITY (2004)

• The study recruited 188 undergraduate psychology students at the UAE University who completed a self-report questionnaire that included measures of counselor
training, anxiety, and counseling self-e cacy. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis to examine the relationships between these
variables. Counselor training was assessed using the Counselor Training Scale (CTS), a 20-item self-report measure that assesses the degree to which participants feel
they have received e ective training in counseling skills. The CTS has been found to have good reliability and validity in previous research.

• Anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Counseling self-e cacy was assessed using the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE), a 21-
item self-report measure that assesses participants' perceived self-e cacy in counseling-related tasks. Data collected through the self-report questionnaires were
analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis to examine the relationships between counselor training, anxiety, and counseling self-e cacy. Mediation
analysis was also conducted to examine the mediating e ect of counselor training on the relationship between anxiety and counseling self-e cacy.

• The results indicate that counselor training was positively correlated with counseling self-e cacy, but negatively correlated with anxiety. Additionally, anxiety was
found to be negatively correlated with counseling self-e cacy. Further analysis suggests that counselor training can mediate the relationship between anxiety and
counseling self-e cacy.

• The ndings suggest that counselor training can promote counseling self-e cacy and reduce anxiety among psychology students at the UAE University. The mediating
e ect of counselor training on the relationship between anxiety and counseling self-e cacy suggests that counselor training can help to mitigate the negative impact of
anxiety on counseling self-e cacy.
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 Al-Darmaki, Fatima R. COUNSELOR TRAINING, ANXIETY, AND COUNSELING SELF-EFFICACY: IMPLICATIONS
FOR TRAINING PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNIVERSITY (2004)

• Research indicated a positive relationship between supervision and counseling self-e cacy (Friedlander & Snyder, 1983;
Larson et al., 1992). For example, trainees who had received supervision showed stronger perceptions of counseling self-
e cacy than did those who had not received supervision (Larson et al.). In addition, stronger perceptions of counseling self-
e cacy was related to (a) higher self-esteem, (b) lower state and trait anxiety, (c) stronger self-perceived problem-
solving e ectiveness, (d) greater satisfaction with prepracticum class performance, (e) more positive outcome
expectations regarding a mock interview, and (f) the execution of counseling microskills in a mock interview (Larson et
al., p. 117).
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Guttormsen T, Høifødt TS, Silvola K, Burkeland O. The course rst aid by suicidal danger (Kurset Førstehjelp ved
selvmordsfare). Tidsskriftet Den Norske Legeforening. (2003)

• “First aid in case of suicide” course, where role-play was an important method of teaching was suitable for medical students.
Forty-seven (62%) of 76 students who participated in the course were interviewed in focus groups consisting of 2–12 students.
• The participants said that they were more prepared to help persons in danger of suicide after the course. They expressed that
trying out important knowledge in role-plays increased their understanding and raised awareness about their own feelings. This
improved their professional self-e cacy. Participants in the study reported it was useful to practice speci c situations and
receive direct feedback on their skills.
• They experienced important learning both when practicing helping a person in danger of suicide and when role-playing the
person in suicidal danger. The participants found it useful taking on the patient’s situation and thus getting familiar with
emotional reactions that occurred in the situation of the role-play.
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