PSY343 - 8. Therapeutic Relationship Flashcards
The Search for Common Factors
Comparisons of different forms of psychotherapy consistently result in nonsignificant differences, + contextual + relationship factors often mediate or moderate outcomes
The Search for Common Factors
Dodo Bird Verdict: there is little or no substantial difference between bona fide therapies with regard to client outcomes
effectiveness of all psychotherapies is due, in part, to factors common to all treatments over and above treatment approach
What is the Therapeutic Relationship?
Freud (1912): positive relationship betw analyst + patient based in reality of their work together (i.e., separate from transference countertransference)
each approach has own way of conceptualizing relationship
above and beyond - something meaningful taking place
What is the Therapeutic Relationship?
Rogers (1957): empathic bond betw patient + therapist is necessary and sufficient for promoting therapeutic change
highlight it as curative factor
capable of helping selves only if facilitative relationship exists
What is the Therapeutic Relationship?
direct relationship betw relationship + client improvement
empathy, genuineness, congruence, unconditional positive regard
What is the Therapeutic Relationship?
Bordin (1979): extent to which client + therapist able to maintain a strong affective relational bond as they collaborate on the tasks + goals of treatment.
What is the Therapeutic Relationship?
bordin: broke it apart into alliance - 3 parts: goals, tasks, bonds
goals: agreement of goals - symptom reduction
tasks: steps to take to achieve goal - CBT(thought records)
What is the Therapeutic Relationship?
Gelso (2011): real relationship: genuineness (intent to avoid deception, including self-deception) + realism (realistic experiences + perceptions of each other)
relationship broader than alliance
one but not all of components of relationship
What is the Therapeutic Relationship?
tripartite model: counter-transference/transference relationship (unconscious unresolved material)
alliance - agreement
genuineness: intent to avoid deception
realism: perceive other in way that actually fits reality (real relationship - 2 ppl in a room)
Psychotherapy Relationships That Work (Norcross, 2011)
Sponsored by the APA Division of Clinical Psychology
+ Psychotherapy
Task Force reviewed 20+ meta-analyses, rated the
evidence + made recommendations for practice,
training, and research
Psychotherapy Relationships That Work (Norcross, 2011)
empirically supported therapeutic relationships
Identified relationship variables that contribute to
therapeutic change and outcome
Elements of the Therapy Relationship
Demonstrably effective: elements that had strong evidence for successful outcomes
• Alliance
• Empathy
• Collecting client feedback
Elements of the Therapy Relationship
Probably effective: enough evidence, but not definitive
• Goal consensus/collaboration
• Positive regard/affirmation/support
Elements of the Therapy Relationship
Promising but insufficient research to judge
• Congruence/genuineness
• Managing countertransference
• Repairing alliance ruptures
Alliance
therapeutic relationship is made up of several interconnected elements (e.g., empathy, responsiveness, creating a safe environment) + alliance is one aspect
Alliance
alliance represents emergent quality of partnership + mutual collaboration between therapist = client
not same as relationship - construct that measure agreement on goals, tasks, bonds
Alliance
Bordin’s construct: alliance built on positive emotional bond betw therapist + client, their ability to agree on the goals of treatment, + establishment of a mutual consensus on tasks that form the substance of the specific therapy
Alliance
more robust finding
technical factors of therapy can only be understood in relational context in which they are applied
Reviewed 190 studies, > 14,000 patients
The overall effect size was r = .275 (d= .57), p
Alliance in Individual Therapy (Horvath, Del Re, Fluckiger, & Symonds, 2011)
working alliance inventory - therapist, client + observer rating
client perception provided best prediction
alliance is low, prognostically know therapy is in trouble - predicting a trajectory
Alliance in Individual Therapy (Horvath, Del Re, Fluckiger, & Symonds, 2011)
differences in the strength of alliance-outcome relationship depending on who (client, therapist, or observer) rates alliance and outcome; client judgment provides best prediction
Alliance in Individual Therapy (Horvath, Del Re, Fluckiger, & Symonds, 2011)
Alliance assessment early in treatment (sessions 3-5) provides reliable prognosis of both treatment drop-out + treatment outcome
Conclusion: Alliance is one of the best predictors of outcome across a range of treatments, diagnoses
Alliance
Therapist contributions to alliance predict outcome more so than patients contribution.
some therapists better at creating alliance and better predictor of outcome
Alliance
look across (comparing to other therapists) or within therapist (across clients) individual’s clients rating of therapist isn’t as predictive of outcome as general rating of therapist
Alliance
Therapists who are on average better able to form better
alliances with their patients have better outcomes
Clients who are able to form a better alliance with a
given therapist do not have better outcomes than clients
with poorer alliances with the same therapist
Empathy (Elliott, Bohart, Watson, & Greenberg, 2011)
Definition: Therapist’s sensitive ability to understand client’s thoughts, feelings, + struggles from client’s view
Reviewed 57 studies, 3,599 clients
Empathy (Elliott, Bohart, Watson, & Greenberg, 2011)
empathic therapists understand moment to moment experiences + goals
straightforward response - forward, agreement