Interpersonal processes affecting early alliance formation in experiential therapy for depression

Abstract

This study examined the effects of in-session interpersonal process and pre-therapy interpersonal problems on session-one alliance formation for 32 clients who received short-term experiential therapy for depression. Interpersonal behavior measured by the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior, as well as clients' pre-therapy reports of interpersonal problems significantly related to session-one alliance scores. Greater client disclosure independently predicted a stronger session-one bond with the therapist. Both greater client disclosure (positively) and pre-therapy Social Inhibition (negatively) independently predicted early goal agreement. Findings suggest that client disclosure is a marker of early engagement in experiential therapy, as well as support this model's mandate to form interpersonally safe therapeutic environments from the first moments of therapy.

Early clarification processes in clients presenting with borderline personality disorder: Relations with symptom level and change

“…In this sense, we feel our study has shown that client processes in intake sessions are linked with relationship and outcome variables. Consistent with our result, Wong and Pos (2012) showed that in the initial sessions of experiential psychotherapies, client's self-disclosure as in-session marker of engaging in therapy predicts first session alliances (see also Pos, Greenberg & Warwar, 2009). Furthermore, in this study, early alliance was also independently and negatively predicted by pre-therapy social inhibition in a negative manner which speaks to the importance of the therapist's relationship offer from the very first therapeutic contact (Wong and Pos, 2012).…”

“…Or, conversely, clients with fewer interactional games are expected to present with fewer symptoms and better therapeutic outcomes. This is consistent, in essence, with previous research on interpersonal processes across therapy approaches, in psychodynamic psychotherapy (Coady & Marziali, 1994) and during initial sessions of experiential psychotherapy (Wong & Pos, 2012). According to Sachse, Sachse and Fasbender (2011;Breil and Sachse, 2011), interactional games are therefore an important initial target of any treatment for BPD clients.…”

The impact of early empathy on alliance building, emotional processing, and outcome during experiential treatment of depression

“…Furthermore, experiential theory 446 A. J. Malin and A. E. Pos (Greenberg & Watson, 2006) and recent experiential process research (Pos et al, 2009;Wong & Pos, 2014) suggest that alliance building in the initial hour can considerably influence therapy process and outcome. Therefore, for both empirical and theoretical reasons the importance of examining first sessions and empathic process in first sessions is underlined.…”

Client self-image, therapist acting, and the establishment of the therapeutic alliance in a training context

“…A small number of studies have addressed the question of which specific client personality features that are associated with a good or poor therapeutic relationship, none of them have used the SASB self-image concepts (which are expressed as affiliation or control actions against the self). Wong and Pos (2014) found client disclosing to predict the client-therapist bond, explaining unique 14% of the variance in session-one alliance. Coleman (2006) found significant moderate positive correlations between the personality traits agreeableness, extraversion and conscientiousness and clients' global working alliance in a cross-sectional study with 103 mental health patients with diverse problems.…”