Contact: Truls Ryum

About the research group:

The RISKIT (Research on Interpersonal Skills in Therapists) research group aims to advance our understanding of the characteristics of effective psychotherapists and in particular, therapists’ relational skills. Methodologically diverse, the RISKIT portfolio includes RCTs, longitudinal cohort studies, and qualitative studies. RISKIT’s work is primarily, but not exclusively, centered around the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) paradigm and its test methodology for assessing observable skills in standardized and clinically challenging situations. Research questions focus on the characteristics of interpersonal skills (e.g., specific skills for child, adolescent, and adult psychotherapy, the importance of mentalization, psychometric properties of the FIS test), the development of interpersonal skills (e.g., apprenticeship training, deliberate practice), and the expression of interpersonal skills in clinical work (e.g., characteristics of “good therapy” from the perspective of naive observers). The research group is involved in several ongoing projects:    

Apprenticeship training in psychotherapy
The apprenticeship project aims to investigate the impact of apprenticeship training for first-year students of clinical psychology, where students weekly participate in a therapy session with experienced therapists over a period of 10-11 weeks. A pilot study was conducted earlier, and data from a large-scale RCT is currently being prepared for publication.

Therapist skills in child and adolescent therapy
A project aiming to determine the interpersonal skills that are in particular relevant in child and adolescent therapy. A delphi study is planned to reach a consensus on central points, and based on these a child therapy version of the FIS test will be developed and tested. 

Trondheim FIRST (Facilitative Interpersonal and Relational Skills Training)
A randomized controlled feasibility study of a deliberate skills practice workshop intervention for experienced therapist in a primary care mental health setting. Outcomes include Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) performance test and self-efficacy. 

Deliberate practice of relational skills
A qualitative study exploring advanced psychology students’ experiences of deliberately practicing relational skills, with an aim towards identifying mechanisms of development and learning in this training method.

Clinical choices and reflections during the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) test
Utilizing the qualitative Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) methodology, this project aims to explore the subtle clinical considerations and reflections that form the basis for psychology students’ responses to challenging clinical situations during the FIS performance test.

Psychometric properties of the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) test
Based on a pilot study, this project investigates the validity and reliability of the Norwegian version of the adult FIS performance test in a sample of psychology students.

Mentalization and attachment in therapist training (MTT)
A naturalistic longitudinal study following psychology students in the clinical training program from 1st to the 11th semester. The aim is to study the development of therapist skills during the course of the student's education. Measurements include the FIS test, attachment, personality, mentalization and mental health. 

• Laugen, N. J., Grøtte, T., Ryum, T., Vogel, P. A., Brattland, H. & Holgersen, K. H. (2024). Something has sort of opened up for me: psychology students’ reflections after participating in an apprenticeship training model. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process, Outcome, 27, 794. 
• Brattland, H., Holgersen, K. H., Vogel, P. A., Anderson, T., & Ryum, T. (2022). An apprenticeship model in the training of psychotherapy students. Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial and qualitative investigation. PLoS One, 17(8), e0272164. 
• Fagerbakk, S. A., Sorhoy, S. H., Nilsen, T., & Laugen, N. J. (2023). Does clinical training improve mentalization skills in future therapists? A comparison of first and last year students of clinical psychology and of engineering. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1066154. 
• Ryum, T., Nordnes, A. M., Brattland, H., Holgersen, K. H., Anderson, T., & Vogel, P. A. (2021). En norsk pilotstudie av ferdighetstesten fasiliterende interpersonlige ferdigheter (“A Norwegian pilot study of the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills performance test”). Tidsskrift for norsk psykologforening, 58(4), 256-265. 

• Nilsen, T, Ryum, T, Laugen, N. J. (2024). The personal characteristics of students entering a clinical psychology program in Norway. 6th Joint European and UK SPR Chapters Conference, Brno.  
• Fagerbakk, S. A., Brattland, H., Laugen, N. J., & Ryum, T. (2024).  Developing Therapist Self-Efficacy in Clinical Psychology Students: A Randomized Controlled Study of an Apprenticeship Training. 6th Joint European and UK SPR Chapters Conference, Brno.  
• Fagerbakk, Steffen André. (2023). Facilitative Interpersonal Relationship Skills Training (FIRST) for therapists in a Norwegian community mental healthcare center. Society for Psychotherapy Research 54th International Annual Meeting, Dublin.
• Holgersen, K. H., Brattland, H., Vogel, P. A., Laugen, N. J., & Ryum, T. (2023). A pilot study on an apprenticeship model in the training of students- Experiences reported from psychotherapists and first-year psychology students. SPR 54th International Annual Meeting, Dublin. 
• Holgersen, K. H., Brattland, H., Vogel, P. A., Laugen, N. J., & Ryum, T. (2022). An apprenticeship model in the training of psychotherapy students. Results from a pilot mixed methods study. 9th EU-SPR Chapter meeting, Roma. 
• Laugen, N. J., Nilsen, T., Fagerbakk, S. A., Holgersen, K. H., Brattland, H., Vogel, P. A., & Ryum, T. (2022). Therapist factors in therapy with children and adolescents. 9th EU-SPR Chapter Meeting, Roma. 
• Nilsen, T., Fagerbakk, S. A., Sørøy, S. H., & Laugen, N. J. (2022). Development of Mentalization skills in Psychology students. 9th EU-SPR Chapter Meeting, Roma.