Personal Psychotherapy During Residency Training: A Survey of Psychiatric Residents

Objective: The authors investigate current psychiatric residents' experiences with and opinions about personal psychotherapy. Methods: The authors analyzed survey data from randomly selected students in psychiatric residency training programs during the 2005-2006 academic year. Results: Approximately one-third of respondents were in psychotherapy. Being in a training program affiliated with a psychoanalytic institute and being further along in training were associated with a greater likelihood of being in therapy. Residents identified financial cost and training demands as the top barriers to pursuing psychotherapy. Psychodynamic psychotherapy was by far the most common type; few residents received cognitive behavior therapy. Conclusion: A significant minority of psychiatric residents pursue personal psychotherapy, primarily psychodynamic. This number appears to be much smaller than in the past.