The Relationship Between Working Alliance and Therapeutic Outcomes for Individuals with Mild Mental Retardation

Abstract

Few studies have addressed the efficacy of counseling and psychotherapy for individuals with mild mental retardation, and no research has investigated the working alliance and psychotherapy outcomes for individuals with mental retardation. This study used existing survey data to examine the relationship between the level of working alliance and rehabilitation counseling outcomes for individuals with mild mental retardation. Results indicated a positive relationship between levels of working alliance and positive rehabilitation outcomes for people with mild mental retardation. This article examines effect sizes and discusses implications for rehabilitation counselors working with individuals with mild mental retardation.

Christian Clients’ Preferences regarding Prayer as a Counseling Intervention

“…Yet, ethical concerns also exist about secular and other counselors' inabilities to respond helpfully to clients' spiritual needs and expectations due to lack of awareness, lack of education, or countertransference related to religious issues (Richards & Potts, 1995;Weld & Eriksen, 2007). Counselors do well to remember their clients' concerns and expectations (Horvath & Symonds, 1991;Strauser, Lustig, & Donnell, 2004), since attention to client expectations and sensitivity to diversity issues contributes to strong working alliances which, in turn, improve outcome (Kim, Ng & Ahn, 2005).…”

“…Christian clients, in particular, expect prayer to be included in Christian counseling (e.g., Belaire & Young, 2002). Because sensitivity to clients' expectations helps build the therapeutic alliance, which in turn contributes to positive outcomes (Horvath & Symonds, 1991;Kim, Ng, & Ahn, 2005;Strauser, Lustig, & Donnell, 2004), methods for including prayer in counseling with some clients need to be examined. Important to this examination is determining client expectations about prayer in counseling; research is currently lacking about such expectations.…”

The Relationship Among Personal and Work Experiences: Implications for Rehabilitation Counselor Well-Being and Service Provision

“…The working alliance is not bound to a particular counseling theoretical orientation; rather, the construct can be applied across orientations and techniques (Horvath & Bedi, 2002;Strauser et al, 2004).…”

The Challenge of Religious Conflicts in Couples Counseling

“…Sensitivity to clients' expectations builds the therapeutic alliance and improves outcomes (Horvath & Symonds, 1991;Kim, Ng, & Ahn, 2005;Strauser, Lustig, & Donnell, 2004). Therefore, therapists need to join with each partner by exploring each partner's expectations for counseling, particularly expectations about the inclusion of spirituality in discussions of the problem and solutions.…”