ABSTRACT
Therapeutic alliance is one of the most popular topics in psychological counseling and psychotherapy research,but the concept of it is not unified.Despite of its various versions,most scholars regard it as an important relationship variable,emphasizing the agreement between therapist and patient as to the goals and tasks of treatment,and the affective bond established in the therapeutic dyad.Related research show that the characteristics of therapist and patient,and the interaction in this therapeutic dyad are the related factors on the formation and development of therapeutic alliance,which constitutes a major clinical variable in explaining and predicting the course and outcome of treatments.Future researches should further clarify the related factors of therapeutic alliance,expand the clinical applications of therapeutic alliance and strengthen the exploration of indigenization.