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<p>In Mexico, although 86% of individuals with mental disorders seek professional assistance, only 22% receive adequate treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the demand for telepsychology, which emerged as a critical alternative with reported use surpassing 95%, underscoring the urgent need for structured training and supervision of mental health professionals. Adequate preparation is essential to strengthen competencies, reinforce therapists’ self-efficacy, and improve treatment outcomes. However, its rapid expansion exposed gaps in professional training, raising ethical concerns and potentially undermining clinical competence. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability and changes in clinical skills, performance, and competence among psychologists following a self-directed online training course based on a transdiagnostic framework in telepsychology.&#xa0;A pre-experimental single-group design was employed with three evaluation points: pre-training, post-training, and six-month follow-up. The final sample consisted of 28 professionals (92.9% women, mean age 42.5 years, SD = 11.9); 24 held bachelor’s degrees and 4 master’s degrees. All participants reported prior experience in cognitive behavioral therapy. The 45-hour training, delivered through Moodle, was organized into five modules covering the transdiagnostic model, emotional disorders, Unified Protocol interventions, online clinical skills, and ethical and human rights considerations. Clinical skills, performance, and competence were assessed through simulated sessions using the Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS), a 0–6 performance rating, and a novice-to-expert competence framework. Analyses included Friedman and Wilcoxon tests with Bonferroni correction, as well as Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests for subgroup comparisons.&#xa0;The Friedman test revealed significant changes across time points for average clinical skills (<i>χ²</i> = 11.8, <i>p</i> = .003, Kendall’s <i>W</i> = 0.211) and performance (<i>χ²</i> = 6.59, <i>p</i> = .037, <i>W</i> = 0.118), although no effect significant effect was found for competence (<i>χ²</i> = 2.93, <i>p</i> = .231). Post-hoc analyses indicate that clinical skills improved significantly from pre- to post-training (<i>p</i> = .001) and declined at follow-up (post–follow-up <i>p</i> = .008), with no significant difference between pre-training and follow-up (<i>p</i> = .319). Performance exhibited only temporary improvement (post–follow-up <i>p</i> = .005), while competence remained unchanged. Subscale analyses revealed immediate post-training gains in personal effectiveness, collaboration, guided discovery, cognitive behavioral techniques, and task management, of which only task management was maintained at follow-up. Finally, subgroup analyses yielded no significant differences by age, sex, or clinical experience, although participants holding master’s degrees demonstrated higher baseline competence.&#xa0;The self-directed online program yielded immediate improvements in clinical skills and performance, demonstrating its potential as an accessible training tool. However, gains were not fully sustained at six months, and competence in a complex construct requiring continuous practice did not improve significantly. Taken together, the findings underscore the need for reinforcement strategies, such as ongoing supervision, booster sessions, or blended learning models, to ensure long-term professional development in telepsychology.</p>

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Online Training in Telepsychology: A Pre-Experimental Single Group Study in Mexico

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月28日

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  • Lorena Alejandra Flores-Plata,
  • Anabel De la Rosa-Gómez,
  • Dulce M. Díaz-Sosa,
  • Esteban Eugenio Esquivel-Santoveña,
  • Carolina Santillán Torres Torrija,
  • Raquel García-Flores,
  • Antonio Lojero Ruaro,
  • Enrique Berra-Ruiz,
  • Rocío Silvestre-Ramírez,
  • Alicia I. Flores-Elvira,
  • Alejandra Mares-Portillo,
  • Eric Romero-Martínez,
  • Paulina Arenas-Landgrave

摘要

In Mexico, although 86% of individuals with mental disorders seek professional assistance, only 22% receive adequate treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the demand for telepsychology, which emerged as a critical alternative with reported use surpassing 95%, underscoring the urgent need for structured training and supervision of mental health professionals. Adequate preparation is essential to strengthen competencies, reinforce therapists’ self-efficacy, and improve treatment outcomes. However, its rapid expansion exposed gaps in professional training, raising ethical concerns and potentially undermining clinical competence. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability and changes in clinical skills, performance, and competence among psychologists following a self-directed online training course based on a transdiagnostic framework in telepsychology. A pre-experimental single-group design was employed with three evaluation points: pre-training, post-training, and six-month follow-up. The final sample consisted of 28 professionals (92.9% women, mean age 42.5 years, SD = 11.9); 24 held bachelor’s degrees and 4 master’s degrees. All participants reported prior experience in cognitive behavioral therapy. The 45-hour training, delivered through Moodle, was organized into five modules covering the transdiagnostic model, emotional disorders, Unified Protocol interventions, online clinical skills, and ethical and human rights considerations. Clinical skills, performance, and competence were assessed through simulated sessions using the Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS), a 0–6 performance rating, and a novice-to-expert competence framework. Analyses included Friedman and Wilcoxon tests with Bonferroni correction, as well as Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests for subgroup comparisons. The Friedman test revealed significant changes across time points for average clinical skills (χ² = 11.8, p = .003, Kendall’s W = 0.211) and performance (χ² = 6.59, p = .037, W = 0.118), although no effect significant effect was found for competence (χ² = 2.93, p = .231). Post-hoc analyses indicate that clinical skills improved significantly from pre- to post-training (p = .001) and declined at follow-up (post–follow-up p = .008), with no significant difference between pre-training and follow-up (p = .319). Performance exhibited only temporary improvement (post–follow-up p = .005), while competence remained unchanged. Subscale analyses revealed immediate post-training gains in personal effectiveness, collaboration, guided discovery, cognitive behavioral techniques, and task management, of which only task management was maintained at follow-up. Finally, subgroup analyses yielded no significant differences by age, sex, or clinical experience, although participants holding master’s degrees demonstrated higher baseline competence. The self-directed online program yielded immediate improvements in clinical skills and performance, demonstrating its potential as an accessible training tool. However, gains were not fully sustained at six months, and competence in a complex construct requiring continuous practice did not improve significantly. Taken together, the findings underscore the need for reinforcement strategies, such as ongoing supervision, booster sessions, or blended learning models, to ensure long-term professional development in telepsychology.