Assessment of professional self-efficacy in psychological interventions and psychotherapy sessions: Development of the Therapist Self-Efficacy Scale (T-SES) and its application for eTherapy

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to develop the Therapist Self-Efficacy Scale (T-SES), and test its validity in a sample of Italian mental health therapists, to assess their professional self-efficacy concerning their practice of eTherapy in a synchronous video-based setting. Methods: A sample of 322 Italian mental health professionals (37.6% psychologists, 62.4% psychotherapists; Mage = 38.48, SD = 8.509) completed an online survey. Results: The T-SES showed a clear, one-factor structure with good psychometric properties. Significant associations were found with insight orientation, general self-efficacy, self-esteem, and personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. The results showed no differences between psychologists and psychotherapists, or differences based on years of experience. Conclusion: The T-SES is an agile and versatile self-report measure for mental health professionals to assess their self-efficacy concerning their therapeutic activity, which can provide information for tailoring training for eTherapy.