Introduction Despite many distinguishing characteristics of the therapeutic relationship, aspects of the dialogue between a therapist and a client can sometimes resemble everyday conversations. Namely, individuals in therapy may occasionally engage in the normative human behavior of lying. Blanchard and Farber (2016) found that 93% of clients report lying or otherwise being dishonest to their […]
Abstract The alliance continues to be one of the most investigated variables related to success in psychotherapy irrespective of theoretical orientation. We define and illustrate the alliance (also conceptualized as therapeutic alliance, helping alliance, or working alliance) and then present a meta-analysis of 295 independent studies that covered more than 30,000 patients (published between 1978 […]
With this book, the therapeutic alliance with couples and families research has finally coalesced into a skilful and wise clinical tool. In the last ten years there have been a plethora of books (Sprenkle at al 2009) and papers (Higham 2012) raising the importance of attending to the therapeutic alliance for couple and family therapists. […]
Abstract The use of outcome monitoring systems to identify clients that are at-risk for treatment failure has now become part of daily clinical practice, shown in 25 empirical studies to improve client outcomes. These promising findings have led to outcome monitoring systems being recognized as evidence-based. Feedback systems based on client perception of therapeutic processes […]
The past 100 years of psychotherapy research has sought not only to examine the efficacy and effectiveness of psychotherapy, but also to identify the causal mechanisms and processes underlying therapeutic change (Lambert, 2013; Wampold & Imel, 2015). The existing research on psychotherapy processes has provided us with a rich understanding of several variables that are […]
Clients request, question, or reject information related to their diagnoses at various times, and in a myriad of ways (e.g., “My partner says I have Borderline Personality Disorder, do I?”, “My mood is all over the place! Do you think I’m bipolar?”, “Maybe it’s ADHD?”). At intake, clients seek clarification of the nature of their […]
Facilitate Memorable Terminations with Awareness, Courage and Love Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), a contemporary contextual behavioral therapy grounded in empirically supported principles, harnesses the power of the therapeutic relationship and maximizes the therapist’s genuineness, compassion and effectiveness. FAP focuses on how therapists can notice and respond effectively to client daily-life problems when they also occur […]
Termination of the Therapy Relationship As with all relationships, a therapeutic relationship has a beginning and an end. The end of a therapeutic relationship often offers an opportunity for the therapist and client to engage in the termination process, which can include looking back on the course of treatment, helping the client plan ahead and […]
From October 17th through the 20th I had the opportunity to represent Division 29 at the American Psychological Association Education Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. The focus of the conference this year was Translating Psychological Science to Educational Practice, Policy, and the Public. There were many wonderful speakers who talked about using psychological principles as […]
Henry Kronengold (2017) invites readers to experience with him a “curious space” of relational connections, playfulness, symbols, and metaphors that characterize psychotherapy with children and adolescents. What is it like for both client and therapist as they tentatively begin a therapeutic relationship, find common channels of communication, solve problems, and make sense of life’s experiences? […]