The unfolding of the real relationship and the outcome of brief psychotherapy.

Abstract

This study sought to assess the association of client- and therapist-rated real relationship with each other and with the outcome of brief psychotherapy. It also aimed to determine whether changes over time in perceptions of the real relationship and increasing convergence between clients' and therapists' ratings of the real relationship were associated with outcome. Forty-two clients and their therapists (n = 19) at 2 university counseling centers completed measures assessing the strength of their real relationship after every session of brief psychotherapy. They also completed an outcome measure at the end of treatment. Clients' ratings of the real relationship after the first session, first quarter of treatment, and after all sessions combined related to outcomes. Therapists' ratings of the real relationship at these time points did not relate to outcome. However, increases over time in therapists' ratings of real relationship strength, as well as increasing convergence with clients' ratings of the real relationship, did relate to outcome. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Client and therapist therapeutic alliance, session evaluation, and client reliable change: A moderated actor–partner interdependence model.

“…This is in contrast to Kivlighan (2007), who found that therapists' alliance ratings were related to their clients' ratings of session Depth. Our results are similar to Gelso et al (2012), who also found significant client-partner effects. In their study, therapists' evaluations of treatment outcome were related to their clients' ratings of the real relationship.…”

“…The Kivlighan (2007) study did not support this theoretical model, because he found partner effects only for the therapists. However, the Gelso et al (2012) study did reveal significant client-partner effects. Despite these contradictory findings, we base our hypotî'eses concerning differences between clients and counselors in terms of the participant and observer roles, and we specifically hypothesized that:…”

Dynamic relationships of therapist alliance and group cohesion in transdiagnostic group CBT for anxiety disorders.

“…If these data are replicated, therapists can expect that strong alliance (especially group agreement on goals, tasks, and bond) will be associated with decreased subsequent symptom reduction at all stages of the intervention. Future research on alliance could be assessed within individual tCBT where processes would be more personalized (McMain, Newman, Segal, & DeRubeis, 2015) and could more readily take account of client attributes (Marmarosh et al, 2014), and perspectives on alliance (Gelso et al, 2012; Kivlighan, Gelso et al, 2015). …”

Prerequisites for Teaching Mindfulness and Meditation, Experienced Teachers from Different Traditions Share their Insights

“…Of particular interest could however be that the teachers interviewed, confess that there are benefits with instructions to the student on a pure technical level but strongly emphasis the more personal, tailored approach where the dialog between student and teacher opens for deeper exploration of the student's practice. This conforms to findings such as the importance of the alliance and relationship between the therapist and the client [45,46]. The part consisting of the working alliance, which means the joining of a client's reasonable side with a therapist's working or analyzing side, is arguably applicable also as shown in this present study for the mindfulness teacher who has a dialogue with his student but less so for the teacher only giving information and not receiving any, where the joining of the student's insights with those of the teacher would be limited and would arguably lead to a less effective teaching [45].…”

“…We should rely on the teaching and not the person. In a commentary on this teaching the respected mindfulness teacher and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh [44] We also find evidence in modern science of the importance of the alliance and relationship between the therapist and the client [45,46]. Conclusions within the field of pedagogic research point out the importance of motivation which is connected to problem solving in everyday life and experiences of inner reward [47,48].…”