Training in Psychological Medicine: An Attempt to Assess Tavistock Clinic Seminars

In recent years there have been a number of attempts to evaluate the effects of postgraduate training seminars in psychological medicine for primary physicians. All of these studies agree in one respect–the enormously complex task of choosing meaningful criteria for assessment. This paper describes a pilot project in which twelve pre-seminar and twelve post-seminar doctors were interviewed. Analysis of the data suggests two general criteria which reflect a “limited though considerable change” in the personality of the doctor: (1) the doctor engages in work commensurate with his limits and he makes appropriate use of available consultant help; and (2) the interference by his own psychopathology in his work is minimal.

The study also suggests that seminar work promotes this kind of limited personal change in the doctor, and that improvement on these criteria may be necessary for the maintenance of skills gained in seminars. Implications for training and for further research are discussed.