One of the primary goals of successful therapy is the formation of a meaningful and strong therapeutic alliance. This bond between the therapist and client is essential for creating an environment of openness, acceptance, and trust. Therapists are largely responsible for developing this foundation, but clients contribute significantly to the bond as well, even if they are unaware they are doing so. Many clients bring past experiences into therapy. Negative and judgmental encounters with previous therapists can cause clients to be distrusting and fearful in treatment, creating barriers to constructive working alliances. Understanding how clients’ past experiences influence the therapeutic bond, and how therapists can overcome these challenges, was the focus of a recent study conducted by Christian Moltu of the Division of Psychiatry at the District General Hospital of Forde in Norway.
Moltu interviewed a dozen therapists and asked them to describe how they overcame hurdles they experienced with hesitant and resistant clients. The therapists were trained in a range of approaches and yet each described similar methods for interacting with difficult clients. Each therapist stated that he or she achieved a productive working alliance, despite their clients’ reservations, by doing one of three things. The therapists said that successful alliances occurred when clients asked the therapists to help them with the relational challenges they faced. Additionally, therapists noted that bonds were built when they acknowledged the clients’ willingness and courage to overcome existing challenges. Lastly, when clients were unable to move past victimization and suffering, therapists found a way to build a bond with them by recognizing this deficit in their clients and explaining that the goal of therapy was to move from challenging situations to positive outcomes. Moltu added, “We found that participants experienced the client as contributing relationally and that this influences how the therapists respond and are present in the interaction.” By being attentive to the past experiences a client brings to therapy, a therapist can work with the client to overcome these limitations and ultimately develop a strong and cooperative therapeutic relationship.
Reference:
Moltu, C., Binder, P.-E., Stige, B. (2012). Collaborating with the client: Skilled psychotherapists’ experiences of the client’s agency as a premise for their own contribution in difficult therapies ending well. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/a0028010
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