Psychotherapist as a secure base figure: Validation of the Secure Base Questionnaire (SBQ).

Abstract

This article describes the validation of a new measure for evaluating psychotherapists' relational dimensions. The Secure Base Questionnaire (SBQ) is a self-report measure designed to assess how psychotherapists perceive themselves as a secure base for their clients. The provision of a secure base in psychotherapy consists of the therapist's ability to be consistently responsive and emotionally available, and to provide conditions for the exploration and review of the client's internal working models of self and others. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 384 psychotherapists from different theoretical backgrounds and levels of experience. The factor validity of the instrument was conducted through principal component analysis, indicating a four factors solution: sensitivity, compulsive caregiving, avoidance of uncertainty, and encouragement of exploration. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed important associations between psychotherapist attachment experiences and the provision of a secure base in psychotherapy. The results stress the contribution of attachment theory, and SBQ in particular, for understanding relational dynamics in psychotherapy research and clinical practice.

How secure is the secure base? Romantic attachment, emotion regulation, and psychotherapists’ role as secure base figures

“…They found that the therapist's selfreported romantic attachment was associated with distinct representations of care and the client's needs in therapy. Insecure dimensions of attachment, such as dependence and ambivalence, were associated with more insecure patterns of secure base provision, namely with a higher prevalence of compulsive caregiving behaviors and more difficulties regarding tolerance for uncertainty in the psychotherapeutic process (Carvalho & Matos, 2021). Both of these studies provide additional proof of the therapist's attachment role when facing more self-challenging experiences in psychotherapy.…”

“…In another study, Carvalho and Matos (2021) also presented the development of a self-report questionnaire for psychotherapists' ratings of secure base behaviors in psychotherapy in four distinctive dimensions [Secure Base Questionnaire (SBQ) -sen-sitivity, encouragement of exploration, compulsive caregiving, and avoidance of uncertainty]. They found that the therapist's selfreported romantic attachment was associated with distinct representations of care and the client's needs in therapy.…”

“…Other than being a psychotherapist, no inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied, including age, years of training, profession/position held, or experience. The sample used in the current study has been used in a previous study for addressing the psychometric properties of a self-report scale (Carvalho & Matos, 2021). The sample consisted of 384 psychotherapists, 73 males, and 311 females, ranging from 22 to 68 years old [mean (M)=33.3; standard deviation (SD)=8.05].…”

“…The percentages for the most salient theoretical orientation reported were as follows: 48.9% of the therapists rated 4 or 5 for cognitive-behavioral, 50% for constructivist, 48.2% for humanistic/existential, 38.8% for integrative, 29.7% for psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, and 64.3% for systemic. The implications of theoretical orientations on SBQ dimensions could be consulted elsewhere (Carvalho & Matos, 2021).…”

“…If therapists who exhibit secure attachment status have been considered more responsive to their clients than their more insecure counterparts, the underlying mechanism of this process is still largely unknown (Carvalho & Matos, 2021;Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007;Talia et al, 2017;Talia et al, 2020). Considering the potential effects that attachment might carry for psychotherapy, shedding light on the underlying processes that lead therapists to develop helpful relationships and work as secure base figures for their clients could be particularly valuable for training and supervision (Farber & Metzger, 2009;Pistole, 1999;Talia et al, 2019).…”