Psychotherapy relationships that work III.

Abstract

This article introduces the journal issue devoted to the most recent iteration of evidence-based psychotherapy relationships and frames it within the work of the Third Interdivisional American Psychological Association Task Force on Evidence-Based Relationships and Responsiveness. The authors summarize the overarching purposes and processes of the Task Force and trace the devaluation of the therapy relationship in contemporary treatment guidelines and evidence-based practices. The article outlines the meta-analytic results of the subsequent 16 articles in the issue, each devoted to the link between a particular relationship element and treatment outcome. The expert consensus deemed 9 of the relationship elements as demonstrably effective, 7 as probably effective, and 1 as promising but with insufficient research to judge. What works-and what does not-in the therapy relationship is emphasized throughout. The limitations of the task force work are also addressed. The article closes with the Task Force's formal conclusions and 28 recommendations. The authors conclude that decades of research evidence and clinical experience converge: The psychotherapy relationship makes substantial and consistent contributions to outcome independent of the type of treatment. Clinical Impact StatementQuestion: What, specifically, is effective in the powerful psychotherapy relationship? Findings: Clinicians can use these meta-analytic conclusions and the practice recommendations of the Task Force on Evidence-Based Relationships and Responsiveness to provide what works in the relationship and simultaneously to avoid what does not work. Meaning: Based on original meta-analyses, experts deemed nine of the relationship elements as demonstrably effective, seven as probably effective, and one as promising. Next Steps: Future directions are to disseminate these findings to practice communities, to implement them in training programs, and to examine the interrelations of the effective elements of the relationship.

The personal self of psychotherapists: Dimensions, correlates, and relations with clients

“…The complex interplay between personal and professional aspects of self has stimulated researchers' interest in therapists' personal attributes (e.g., Ackerman & Hilsenroth, ; Heinonen & Nissen‐Lie, ). In this, the interpersonal qualities and competencies of therapists play a prominent role as crucial for psychotherapy (e.g., Norcross & Lambert, ; Orlinsky, Rønnestad, & Willutzki, ; Wampold & Imel, ). The present paper empirically delineates the personal self of psychotherapists, examines some of its correlates, and assesses its degree of convergence with the therapist's professional self.…”

“…The complex interplay between personal and professional aspects of self has stimulated researchers' interest in therapists' personal attributes (e.g., Ackerman & Hilsenroth, 2003;Heinonen & Nissen-Lie, 2019). In this, the interpersonal qualities and competencies of therapists play a prominent role as crucial for psychotherapy (e.g., Norcross & Lambert, 2018;Orlinsky, Rønnestad, & Willutzki, 2004;Wampold & Imel, 2015).…”

Development and reliability testing of the Scale for the Evaluation of Staff‐Patient Interactions in Progress Notes (SESPI): An assessment instrument of mental health nursing documentation

“…Empathy is vital in a therapeutic relationship (Bee et al., ; Peplau, ; Travelbee, ). Though the importance of the therapeutic relationship to psychotherapeutic outcome has been established for years (Norcross & Lambert, ), therapeutic relationship as well as empathy have been difficult to operationalize and measure in nursing contexts (McAndrew, Chambers, Nolan, Thomas, & Watts, ; Yu & Kirk, , ). Nearness and distance between persons wax and wane.…”

Shared decision‐making in mental and behavioural health interventions

“…Although the seminal treatment orientations (ie, psychoanalysis and behaviour therapy) emphasized clinician expertise and technical precision, starting in the 1950s, Carl Rogers and the humanistic movement began emphasizing the important and powerful role of the patient in psychotherapy . Since that time, a myriad of studies have been conducted examining variables associated with patient choice, active involvement, collaboration, and consensus in the treatment decision‐making process . Additionally, theorists have written extensively about how patient participation in treatment is one of the main causal mechanisms that leads to patient change .…”

“…11 Since that time, a myriad of studies have been conducted examining variables associated with patient choice, active involvement, collaboration, and consensus in the treatment decision-making process. 1,12,13 Additionally, theorists have written extensively about how patient participation in treatment is one of the main causal mechanisms that leads to patient change. [14][15][16][17][18] Currently, evidence-based practice standards for the field of psychology specifically state that patient preferences should play a key role in the treatment decision-making process, 19 and many view patient choice in mental health treatments as an ethical imperative.…”