A Relationship Between Rated Ability and Personality Traits in Psychotherapists

Twenty-five psychiatric residents were rated on their ability as psychotherapists by ten supervisors with various theoretical orientations. The high rate of agreement among the supervisors' assessments of competency suggests that there may be "good therapist" characteristics independent of theoretical orientation. The residents were also given three personality questionnaires; the high-ability group was distinguished from the low-ability group by higher scores for scales indicating assertiveness and flexibility and lower scores for rigidity. These findings may have some predictive value in the training of psychotherapists.