Has the concept of the therapeutic alliance outlived its usefulness?

@article{Safran2006HasTC,
  title={Has the concept of the therapeutic alliance outlived its usefulness?},
  author={Jeremy David Safran and J. Christopher Muran},
  journal={Psychotherapy},
  year={2006},
  volume={43 3},
  pages={
          286-91
        }
}
In this article, we provide a brief summary of our current thinking about the constructs of the therapeutic alliance and ruptures in the therapeutic alliance. We speculate about some of the factors that have led to sustained interest in these constructs by psychotherapy researchers and discuss some of the conceptual problems associated with them. We also consider the question of whether the therapeutic alliance continues to be a meaningful construct, and we delineate more and less promising… 

Therapeutic Alliance and Alliance Ruptures and Resolutions: Theoretical Definitions, Assessment Issues, and Research Findings

Therapeutic alliance is one of the most important and investigated constructs in psychotherapy research. In this chapter we first discuss the historical development of therapeutic alliance, from

Research on Therapeutic Impasses and Ruptures in the Therapeutic Alliance

Abstract In this article, we provide an overview of our research program on therapeutic impasses and alliance ruptures. Beginning in the mid-1980s at the University of Toronto, and continuing in New

Deconstructing the Therapeutic Alliance: Reflections on the Underlying Dimensions of the Concept

The concept of the alliance has received increasing attention from both clinicians and researchers over the past thirty years. Yet it remains only vaguely defined, and its role and effect in therapy

Processing the therapeutic relationship

  • C. HillSarah Knox
  • Psychology
    Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research
  • 2009
If therapists and clients process their therapeutic relationship, feelings will be expressed and accepted, problems will be resolved, the relationship will be enhanced, and clients will transfer their learning to other relationships outside of therapy.

The development of the therapeutic alliance: rupture processes and the role of the therapist´s experiencet

Ruptures in the Therapeutic Alliance are the main theme of this dissertation, organizing all the studies that compose it. According to Safran and Muran (2000) ruptures may be defined “as tension or

College of 1-1-2009 Processing the Therapeutic Relationship

It is proposed that if therapists and clients directly address in the here and now their feelings about each other and about the inevitable problems that emerge in the therapy relationship), feelings will be expressed and accepted, problems will be resolved, the relationship will be enhanced, and clients will transfer their learning to other relationships outside of therapy.

Scientific Research into Psychotherapy

This chapter presents an overview of psychotherapy research. It starts by setting out a set of principles supported by scientific evidence and clinical experience. These principles work as synthesis

AP-INTJ220005 276..290

Although the therapy relationship has long been recognized as an essential factor in the change process, there has been disagreement concerning whether the relationship is itself curative or rather

Ambivalence, Resistance, and Alliance Ruptures in Psychotherapy: It’s Complicated

Ambivalence, resistance, and alliance ruptures are three terms commonly used in psychotherapy, across different theoretical approaches and modalities. However, it is still not clear how those terms

The relationship between the therapeutic alliance in psychotherapy and suicidal experiences: A systematic review

Abstract It is well established that there is a fundamental need to develop a robust therapeutic alliance to achieve positive outcomes in psychotherapy. However, little is known as to how this
...

The resolution of ruptures in the therapeutic alliance.

The evolution of a model of rupture resolution is described and its implications for treatment development and evaluation are discussed.

Working Alliance, Therapeutic Alliance, and Transference

  • C. Brenner
  • Psychology
    Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
  • 1979
Examination of the clinical evidence offered by proponents for the concepts of therapeutic and working alliance leads the author to conclude that neither concept is justifiable. Both refer to aspects

The working alliance: Theory, research, and practice.

Partial table of contents: CONCEPTUAL AND RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES. Theory and Research on the Therapeutic Working Alliance: New Directions (E. Bordin). Therapeutic Alliances as Predictors of

The Therapeutic Alliance

In this authoritative book, W. W. Meissner examines all the prevailing ideas about the therapeutic alliance-the collaborative relationship between psychotherapist and an individual patient. The book

BREACHES IN THE THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE: AN ARENA FOR NEGOTIATING AUTHENTIC RELATEDNESS

In this article I argue that the clarification of the processes involved in working through breaches or ruptures in the therapeutic alliance, is a vitally important task for psychotherapy theorists

The generalizability of the psychoanalytic concept of the working alliance.

The psychoanalytic concept of the working alliance is reviewed and elaborated. It is argued that various modes of psychotherapy can be meaningfully differentiated in terms of the kinds of working

The Great Psychotherapy Debate: Models, Methods, and Findings

Contents: Foreword. Preface. Competing Meta-Models: The Medical Model Versus the Contextual Model. Differential Hypotheses and Evidentiary Rules. Absolute Efficacy: The Benefits of Psychotherapy

Relation of the therapeutic alliance with outcome and other variables: a meta-analytic review.

The results of the meta-analysis indicate that the overall relation of therapeutic alliance with outcome is moderate, but consistent, regardless of many of the variables that have been posited to influence this relationship.

Relation between Working Alliance and Outcome in Psychotherapy: A Meta-Analysis.

Results of 24 studies (based on 20 distinct data sets) relating the quality of the working alliance (WA) to therapy outcome were synthesized using meta-analytic procedures. A moderate but reliable

Psychotherapy for the treatment of depression: a comprehensive review of controlled outcome research.

Findings from the review confirm that depressed clients benefit substantially from psychotherapy, and these gains appear comparable to those observed with pharmacotherapy.