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Colloquium credits

Presentation Master's thesis - Vanessa Lulo - Clinical Psychology

Colloquium credits

Presentation Master's thesis - Vanessa Lulo - Clinical Psychology

Last modified on 17-06-2025 13:19
Measuring therapist beliefs about exposure: psychometric validation of a Dutch version of the Therapist Beliefs about Exposure Scale (TBES)
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18-06-2025 16:00
event-summary.end-date
18-06-2025 17:00
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Roeterseilandcampus - Gebouw C, Straat: Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, Ruimte: GS.05. Vanwege beperkte zaalcapaciteit is deelname op basis van wie het eerst komt, het eerst maalt. Leraren moeten zich hieraan houden.

Despite the strong empirical support for exposure therapy in treating anxiety-related and trauma-related disorders, its clinical underutilization remains a persistent concern. One key barrier is therapists’ negative beliefs about the safety, tolerability, and ethicality of exposure, which can lead to less frequent or suboptimal use. The Therapist Beliefs about Exposure Scale (TBES) was developed to assess these attitudes, but no validated version currently exists for Dutch-speaking clinicians. This study aimed to psychometrically validate a Dutch adaptation of the TBES using data from 207 Dutch and Flemish therapists. Analyses included reliability assessments, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and convergent validity assessments with conceptually related constructs (e.g., anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, intolerance of uncertainty, therapist distress). The Dutch version of the Therapist Beliefs about Exposure Scale (TBES) showed good reliability and a clear three-factor structure, capturing ethical concerns, perceived clinical risk, and anticipated client reluctance. Higher TBES scores were associated with greater therapist anxiety sensistivity, avoidance, and distress, and significantly predicted lower reported use of exposure therapy. These findings support the Dutch TBES as a valid and reliable measure and underscore the need to address clinician beliefs to improve dissemination and implementation of exposure therapy. These findings will help to inform targeted training programs, ultimately improving therapist confidence and exposure use to enhance treatment outcomes for patients with anxiety disorders.