![]() At the same time, he contends that specific techniques aren’t nearly as important to the therapeutic process as some practitioners might think. Kottler appreciates what research into evidence-based practices and promising theories can contribute to the counseling profession’s body of knowledge. “We hungrily buy books and attend workshops hoping for the next latest and greatest breakthrough.” “Counselors are in love with their techniques and interventions,” ACA member Jeffrey Kottler says ruefully. “It might involve compassionate or empathic listening or humor, or just sitting together while the client experiences strong emotions, or giving positive and supportive feedback to clients.”Īlthough it may be next to impossible to find a counselor who doesn’t agree that bonding with clients is important, becoming overly reliant on technique and method still poses a common temptation for many professionals. “Emotional bonding between counselor and client is different for every unique counselor and client,” Sommers-Flanagan says. “This could involve everything from taking a social history to implementing a progressive muscle relaxation procedure.” “Collaboration on counseling-related tasks can involve nearly any task that is clearly described and that clients understand as related to their problems or goals,” he continues. ![]() For a more existentially oriented counselor, it could involve asking the client ‘What do you want?’ and then gently exploring the many nuanced dimensions of how your client answers that question.” For a cognitive behavioral therapist, it could include collaboratively generating a problem list. “This can happen from any theoretical orientation. ![]() “For example, goal consensus or agreement involves listening closely to the client’s distress and hopes and then being able to articulate that distress and hope back to your client,” says Sommers-Flanagan, an author and associate professor in the Department of Counselor Education at the University of Montana. Focusing on these dimensions helps grow the therapeutic relationship.” “The best ways to form and strengthen the alliance are specific counselor behaviors that contribute to those three ‘alliance’ dimensions. “Most scholars who write about the therapeutic alliance describe it as a relational factor in counseling that includes three dimensions: goal consensus between counselor and client, collaboration on counseling-related tasks and emotional bonding,” explains American Counseling Association member John Sommers-Flanagan. So, what constitutes a therapeutic alliance? In 2001, a comprehensive research summary published in the journal Psychotherapy found that a strong therapeutic alliance was more closely correlated with positive client outcomes than any specific treatment interventions. In the decades since Rogers’ article was published, many other studies have explored the therapeutic alliance.
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